Counting Problem: In a school 315 girls play at least one sports

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on a combinatorial problem involving 315 girls participating in sports at a school. Specifically, 100 girls play a fall sport, 150 play a winter sport, and 200 play a spring sport, with 75 girls participating in exactly two sports. The objective is to determine how many girls play all three sports using the principle of inclusion-exclusion, represented by the formula for the union of three sets. The Venn diagram approach is suggested for visualizing the problem and establishing the necessary equations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of set theory and Venn diagrams
  • Familiarity with the principle of inclusion-exclusion
  • Basic algebra for solving equations
  • Knowledge of combinatorial counting techniques
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principle of inclusion-exclusion in combinatorics
  • Practice constructing and interpreting Venn diagrams
  • Learn to solve problems involving multiple sets and their intersections
  • Explore advanced counting techniques in discrete mathematics
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Mathematics students, educators, and anyone interested in combinatorial problems and set theory applications.

Avro1
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In a school 315 girls play at least one sport. 100 play a fall sport, 150 play a winter sport, and 200 play a spring sport. If 75 girls play exactly 2 sports, how many play three?
 
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Hello, and welcome to MHB! (Wave)

I would begin by constructing a Venn diagram:

View attachment 9104

We've got 7 variables...can you construct equations involving these variables from the given information?
 

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Hi Avro.

You can also use this formula for any sets $A$, $B$, $C$:
$$|A\cup B\cup C|\ =\ |A|+|B|+|C|-|A\cap B|-|B\cap C|-|C\cap A|+|A\cap B\cap C|.$$
So, in this problem, $A$ might be the set of girls playing fall sports, $B$ the set of those playing winter sports, and $C$ the set of those playing spring sports; then you want to find $|A\cap B\cap C|$. Also, note that while you are not given $|A\cap B|$, $|B\cap C|$ or $|C\cap A|$ separately, you are given $|A\cap B|+|B\cap C|+|C\cap A|$, which you can use in the formula above
 

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