Lor
2023 AMC 8
Problem 16
The letters 
and 
are entered into a 
table according to the pattern shown below. How many 
s, 
s, and s will appear in the completed table?![[asy] /* Made by MRENTHUSIASM, Edited by Kante314 */ usepackage("mathdots"); size(5cm); draw((0,0)--(6,0),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((0,1)--(6,1),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((0,2)--(6,2),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((0,3)--(6,3),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((0,4)--(6,4),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((0,5)--(6,5),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((0,0)--(0,6),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((1,0)--(1,6),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((2,0)--(2,6),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((3,0)--(3,6),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((4,0)--(4,6),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); draw((5,0)--(5,6),linewidth(1.5)+mediumgray); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (.5,.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (.5,1.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (.5,2.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (.5,3.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (.5,4.5)); label("$\vdots$", (.5,5.6)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (1.5,.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (1.5,1.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (1.5,2.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (1.5,3.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (1.5,4.5)); label("$\vdots$", (1.5,5.6)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (2.5,.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (2.5,1.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (2.5,2.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (2.5,3.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (2.5,4.5)); label("$\vdots$", (2.5,5.6)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (3.5,.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (3.5,1.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (3.5,2.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (3.5,3.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (3.5,4.5)); label("$\vdots$", (3.5,5.6)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (4.5,.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (4.5,1.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{P}", (4.5,2.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{Q}", (4.5,3.5)); label(scale(.9)*"\textsf{R}", (4.5,4.5)); label("$\vdots$", (4.5,5.6)); label(scale(.9)*"$\dots$", (5.5,.5)); label(scale(.9)*"$\dots$", (5.5,1.5)); label(scale(.9)*"$\dots$", (5.5,2.5)); label(scale(.9)*"$\dots$", (5.5,3.5)); label(scale(.9)*"$\dots$", (5.5,4.5)); label(scale(.9)*"$\iddots$", (5.5,5.6)); [/asy]](https://latex.artofproblemsolving.com/c/b/5/cb56c83bbe94022221482c1b9445b3a1810eeca2.png)
Sol1.Calculate Number of Ps in each column
Places of Ps in first column = {1, 4, … , 19}
Number of Ps in first column = ((19-1)/3)+1
….
Sol2. In 20*18 #Ps = #Qs = #Rs
In 2*18 #Ps = #Qs = #Rs
So we should only consider first 2 by 2
Solution. (C)