The Jumping Bug

1. A bug jumps from lattice point to lattice point on a piece of graph paper, one jump per second,
according to the following pattern: From (m, n), the bug jumps only to (m + 1, n) or (m, n + 1), each
equally likely. Find all the places the bug could be, two seconds after it leaves the origin (0, 0). Are
all these places equally likely?

2. Where could the bug be, three seconds after it leaves the origin? Are all these places equally likely?

3. Where could the bug be, four seconds after it leaves the origin? Are all these places equally likely?

Adapted from Phillips Exeter Academy Math materials

The Jumping Bug

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4. Expand (r + u) , (r + u) , and (r + u) , looking for connections with the jumping bug. In algebra
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it is customary to collect terms like rru, rur, and urr into a single term 3r u . Is there any reason to
distinguish these terms in this example, however?
(r + u)

(r + u)

(r + u)

5. It would take the bug five seconds to reach (3, 2) from the origin. Given the bugs random behavior,
how likely is it that this will happen?

6. Explain below why it makes sense that the number of paths to the point (3,2) from the origin will
equal the sum of the number of paths from (3,1) and (2,2).

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7. Use the patterns you have observed to write down the expansion for (r + u) without doing any
additional multiplication or algebra.