
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
A student wants to schedule 4 mathematics courses -- Algebra, Geometry, Number Theory, and Calculus -- in a 7-period school day but wishes to ensure no two mathematics courses are consecutive. How many ways can the student arrange these courses within the day, assuming the courses for the remaining periods are irrelevant?
A) 12
B) 16
C) 18
D) 20
E) 24

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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