Bunuel
In an auditorium, there are ten light switches each of which control the lights of a different zone of the room. If there are only these 10 zones in the room and each light may only be set to "on" or "off", then how many different lighting arrangements are possible in the auditorium?
A. 10^10
B. 10!
C. 10^2
D 5!
E. 2^10
Let the 10 light switches be Switch #1, Switch #2, Switch #3, etc.
Take the task of creating a lighting arrangement and break it into
stages.
Stage 1: Set Switch #1
The switch can be ON or OFF. So, we can complete stage 1 in
2 ways
Stage 2: Set Switch #2
The switch can be ON or OFF. So, we can complete stage 2 in
2 ways
Stage 3: Set Switch #3
The switch can be ON or OFF. So, we can complete stage 3 in
2 ways
Stage 4: Set Switch #4
The switch can be ON or OFF. So, we can complete stage 4 in
2 ways
.
.
.
Stage 9: Set Switch #9
The switch can be ON or OFF. So, we can complete stage 9 in
2 ways
Stage 10: Set Switch #10
The switch can be ON or OFF. So, we can complete stage 10 in
2 ways
By the Fundamental Counting Principle (FCP), we can complete all 10 stages (and thus create a lighting arrangement) in
(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2) ways (= \(2^{10}\) ways)
Answer:
Note: the FCP can be used to solve the MAJORITY of counting questions on the GMAT. So, be sure to learn the technique.
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