In a class of 95 students, all play at least one of the three games — snooker, chess and tennis. 42 students play snooker, 49 play tennis, and 43 play chess. The total number of students who play any and only two games is 29. The 5 students play all the three games. The number of students who play only snooker and only chess is equal. 11 students play only snooker and tennis. 6 students play only snooker and chess. How many students play only tennis?
21
This problem can be solved using the principles of set theory and a Venn diagram representation. We are given information about the number of students playing three different games: snooker, chess, and tennis. All 95 students play at least one game, meaning the union of the sets of students playing each game is 95.
Let's define the sets:
We are given the following values:
Let's denote the number of students in each disjoint region of the Venn diagram:
We are given that the total number of students who play any and only two games is 29. This means:
\(|S \cap C|\) only + \(|S \cap T|\) only + \(|C \cap T|\) only = 29
Substituting the known values:
\(6 + 11 + n_{CT} = 29\)
\(17 + n_{CT} = 29\)
\(n_{CT} = 29 - 17\)
\(n_{CT} = 12\)
So, 12 students play only chess and tennis.
We are given that the number of students who play only snooker (\(n_S\)) and only chess (\(n_C\)) is equal. So, \(n_S = n_C\).
Now, let's use the total number of students for each game. The total number of students playing snooker is the sum of students in all regions within the snooker circle:
\(|S|\) only + \(|S \cap C|\) only + \(|S \cap T|\) only + \(|S \cap C \cap T| = |S|\)
\(n_S + 6 + 11 + 5 = 42\)
\(n_S + 22 = 42\)
\(n_S = 42 - 22\)
\(n_S = 20\)
Since \(n_S = n_C\), the number of students who play only chess is also 20.
\(n_C = 20\)
Let's check this against the total number of students playing chess:
\(|C|\) only + \(|S \cap C|\) only + \(|C \cap T|\) only + \(|S \cap C \cap T| = |C|\)
\(n_C + 6 + n_{CT} + 5 = 43\)
\(20 + 6 + 12 + 5 = 43\)
\(43 = 43\)
This confirms our values for \(n_S\) and \(n_C\) are consistent.
Finally, we need to find the number of students who play only tennis (\(n_T\)). The total number of students playing tennis is the sum of students in all regions within the tennis circle:
\(|T|\) only + \(|S \cap T|\) only + \(|C \cap T|\) only + \(|S \cap C \cap T| = |T|\)
\(n_T + 11 + n_{CT} + 5 = 49\)
\(n_T + 11 + 12 + 5 = 49\)
\(n_T + 28 = 49\)
\(n_T = 49 - 28\)
\(n_T = 21\)
Alternatively, we can use the fact that the total number of students (95) is the sum of students in all disjoint regions:
\(|S|\) only + \(|C|\) only + \(|T|\) only + \(|S \cap C|\) only + \(|S \cap T|\) only + \(|C \cap T|\) only + \(|S \cap C \cap T| = 95\)
\(n_S + n_C + n_T + 6 + 11 + n_{CT} + 5 = 95\)
Substitute the known values: \(n_S = 20\), \(n_C = 20\), \(n_{CT} = 12\)
\(20 + 20 + n_T + 6 + 11 + 12 + 5 = 95\)
\(74 + n_T = 95\)
\(n_T = 95 - 74\)
\(n_T = 21\)
Both methods give the same result.
Summary of students in each region:
| Region | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Only Snooker | 20 |
| Only Chess | 20 |
| Only Tennis | 21 |
| Only Snooker and Chess | 6 |
| Only Snooker and Tennis | 11 |
| Only Chess and Tennis | 12 |
| Snooker, Chess, and Tennis | 5 |
| Total | \(20+20+21+6+11+12+5 = 95\) |
The number of students who play only tennis is 21.
| Concept | Explanation | Application in this Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Set | The set containing all elements under consideration. | All 95 students in the class. |
| Union (\(\cup\)) | The set of all elements in either set A, set B, or both. For three sets, \(|A \cup B \cup C|\) represents students playing at least one game. | Given as 95 students. |
| Intersection (\(\cap\)) | The set of elements common to two or more sets. | \(|S \cap C \cap T|\) is students playing all three games. \(|S \cap C|\) is students playing snooker and chess (could be only those two, or all three). |
| 'Only' Regions | Specific parts of a Venn diagram representing elements belonging exclusively to a single set, or exclusively to the intersection of two sets (but not the third). | \(|S|\) only, \(|S \cap C|\) only, etc. These sum up to the total number of students. |
| Inclusion-Exclusion Principle | A formula relating the size of the union of sets to the sizes of the individual sets and their intersections. \(|A \cup B \cup C| = |A| + |B| + |C| - (|A \cap B| + |A \cap C| + |B \cap C|) + |A \cap B \cap C|\). | Used implicitly by summing disjoint regions or explicitly with the formula to verify totals. |
Venn diagrams are visual tools that help represent the relationships between sets. For problems involving three sets, drawing a Venn diagram with 8 distinct regions is often helpful:
When solving these problems, it's usually easiest to start filling in the diagram from the innermost region (the intersection of all sets) and work outwards. If the 'only' regions are given, you can fill those in directly. If total set sizes are given, you'll need to use equations like the ones in the solution above to find the sizes of the disjoint regions.
Always check your final numbers by summing all the disjoint regions to ensure they equal the total number of elements in the universal set (or the union, if not all elements are in the sets).
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