Directions for the next two questions: The figure below shows the plan of a town. The streets are at right angles to each other. A rectangular park (P) is situated inside the town with a diagonal road running through it. There is also a prohibited region (D) in the town.
Neelam rides her bicycle from her house at A to her club at C, via B taking the shortest path. Then the number of possible shortest paths that she can choose is
[CAT 2008]
The shortest route from A to B is via the diagonal in the square P. A to the north-west corner of square P can be travelled in 4!/2!*2! ways. Number of ways to travel from the south-east corner of square P to B is 6!/4!*2!.
B to the north-east corner of D can be travelled in 6!/5! ways. From there to C can be travelled in 2 ways. There is 1 other way of travelling from B to C (along the perimeter of the field).
The total number of ways is, therefore, (4!/2!*2!) * (6!/4!*2!) * (6!/5! * 2 + 1)
= 6*15*13 = 1170
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