Question:hard

Five integers are picked from 0 to 20, with possible repetitions, such that their mean is 12, median is 18, and they have a single mode of 20.
Ignoring permutations, the number of ways to pick these five integers is ______

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Fix the median at 18, then check where a repeated 20 can go so the sum still gives mean 12, and test the single-mode condition on each case.
Updated On: Aug 6, 2026
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Translate each condition into an equation.
Call the five picked integers, sorted from smallest to largest, $a \le b \le c \le d \le e$, each between $0$ and $20$.
Mean $12$ means $a+b+c+d+e = 60$. Median $18$ means the middle value $c = 18$. A single mode of $20$ means $20$ appears more times than any other number in the list, with no other number tying it.

Step 2: Work out where the value 20 can sit.
Because the list is sorted and $c = 18$, we know $a \le b \le 18$ and $18 \le d \le e \le 20$. The value $20$ is bigger than $18$, so it can only appear in the $d$ or $e$ position, never in $a$, $b$, or $c$.
For $20$ to be a mode at all it must repeat, appearing at least twice; the only two "slots" that could ever hold $20$ are $d$ and $e$, so both must equal $20$: $d = e = 20$.

Step 3: Reduce to a two-variable problem.
Plug $c = 18$, $d = 20$, $e = 20$ into the sum:
$a + b + 18 + 20 + 20 = 60 \Rightarrow a + b = 2$, with $0 \le a \le b \le 18$.
Listing all integer solutions with $a \le b$: $(a,b) = (0,2)$ or $(1,1)$.

Step 4: Test the single-mode condition on each candidate list.
For $(1,1)$: the list is $1,1,18,20,20$. Counting repeats, $1$ appears twice and $20$ appears twice, a tie, so there is no single mode; this fails the question's requirement.
For $(0,2)$: the list is $0,2,18,20,20$. Counting repeats, $0$, $2$, and $18$ each appear once, while $20$ appears twice, strictly more than any other value, so $20$ is the unique mode. This list passes every requirement.

Step 5: Count the valid lists.
Only the multiset $\{0,2,18,20,20\}$ satisfies mean $=12$, median $=18$, and a single mode of $20$ at the same time. Since we ignore permutations (different orderings of the same five numbers do not count as different picks), this is exactly one valid way to choose the five integers.

Step 6: Final Answer.
\[ \boxed{1} \]
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