A number is called flippy if its digits alternate between two distinct digits. For example, 2020 and 37373 are flippy, but 3883 and 123123 are not. How many five-digit flippy numbers are divisible by 15? A 3
B 4
C 5
D 6
E 8

B: 4

Step-by-step explanation:

A number is divisible by 15 if the number ends on a 0 or a 5, and the sum of its digits is divisible by 3.

We want to find a 5 digit flippy number, this can be: modeled with:

N = ababa

Where a and b are single digit numbers.

If we impose that N must end with a zero, then we will have:

N  = 0b0b0 = b0b0

This is a 4-digit number, so we can discard all the options that end with a zero.

Then the only option that we have are the numbers like:

B = 5b5b5

This number will be only divisible by 15 if:

5 + b + 5 + b + 5 = K is divisible by 3.

Then let's try find the possible values of b.

K = 3*5 + 2*b

K has two terms, the left term is already divisible by 3, then K will be divisible by 3 only if the other term is also divisible by 3.

Then we want 2*b to be divisible by 3.

And 2 is a prime number, then b must be divisible by 3, and we know that b is a number between {0,1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ,9}

The options are:

2*0 = 0 is divisible by 3.

2*3  = 6 is divisible by 3.

2*6 = 12 is divisible by 3

2*9 = 12 is divisible by 3.

Then we have four values of b such that:

N = 5b5b5 is divisible by 15.

Then the correct option is: B: 4

the 4th choice is the correct one

step-by-step explanation: