2014 AMC 10B Exam Problems
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All of the real AMC 8 and AMC 10 problems in our complete solution collection are used with official permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
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1.
Leah has coins, all of which are pennies and nickels. If she had one more nickel than she has now, then she would have the same number of pennies and nickels. In cents, how much are Leah's coins worth?
Answer: C
Solution:
Let the number of pennies be Then, the number of nickels is and so This means we have pennies and nickels.
Therefore, the number of cents is
Thus, the correct answer is C.
2.
What is
Answer: E
Solution:
Thus, the correct answer is E.
3.
Randy drove the first third of his trip on a gravel road, the next miles on pavement, and the remaining one-fifth on a dirt road. In miles how long was Randy's trip?
Answer: E
Solution:
Let the path distance be Then, we get:
Thus, the correct answer is E.
4.
Susie pays for muffins and bananas. Calvin spends twice as much paying for muffins and bananas. A muffin is how many times as expensive as a banana?
Answer: B
Solution:
Let the price for a muffin be and let the price for a banana be Then,
Thus, the correct answer is B.
5.
Doug constructs a square window using equal-size panes of glass, as shown. The ratio of the height to width for each pane is and the borders around and between the panes are inches wide. In inches, what is the side length of the square window?
Answer: A
Solution:
Let the smaller side of a pane be a distance of
Then, the side length is Also, the other direction has pane lengths of
This means the side length is We solve for as follows:
Therefore, the side length is
Thus, the correct answer is A.
6.
Orvin went to the store with just enough money to buy balloons. When he arrived, he discovered that the store had a special sale on balloons: buy balloon at the regular price and get a second at off the regular price. What is the greatest number of balloons Orvin could buy?
Answer: C
Solution:
Suppose we buy balloons. Then, we can buy at full price and at a price of of a ballon.
Therefore, we can buy it at a price of balloons. Thus, with the money to buy balloons, we could buy balloons.
Thus, the correct answer is C.
7.
Suppose and A is greater than What is
Answer: A
Solution:
By definition, we know
This implies,
Thus, the correct answer is A.
8.
A truck travels feet every seconds. There are feet in a yard. How many yards does the truck travel in minutes?
Answer: E
Solution:
This means it travels yards in seconds since a yard is feet. Then, in one second, it travels yards.
Therefore, in minutes which is seconds, it travels
Thus, the correct answer is E.
9.
For real numbers and What is
Answer: A
Solution:
Observe that:
Thus, the correct answer is A.
10.
In the addition shown below and are distinct digits. How many different values are possible for \begin{array}[t]{r} ABBCB \\ + \ BCADA \\ \hline DBDDD \end{array}
Answer: C
Solution:
From the leftmost digit, we know since it has no carryover.
This means there is no carryover when adding the units digit, making Thus, Then, since and we know
Since we have values for
Thus, the correct answer is C.
11.
For the consumer, a single discount of is more advantageous than any of the following discounts:
(1) Two successive discounts.
(2) Three successive discounts.
(3) A discount followed by a discount.
What is the smallest possible positive integer value of
Answer: C
Solution:
We need to find the smallest possible such that Note that so we don't need to worry about the first condintion since the last condition is true. Then, the second condition yields
Also, we also can see that
Therefore, Combining our conditions yields a smallest of
Thus, the correct answer is C.
12.
The largest divisor of is itself. What is its fifth-largest divisor?
Answer: C
Solution:
The fifth-largest divisor is divided by the fifth smallest divisor.
The prime factoriztion of is: This makes the first smallest divisors Therefore, the fifth smallest divisor is and the fifth largest divisor must be:
Thus, the correct answer is C.
13.
Six regular hexagons surround a regular hexagon of side length as shown. What is the area of
Answer: B
Solution:
Since by rotational symmetry, we know it is an equilateral triangle.
Then, one-fourth of can be found as a the leg of a right triangle with hypotenuse and is opposite to the angle, making it
As such,
Then, since it is an equilateral triangle, it has area
Thus, the correct answer is B.
14.
Danica drove her new car on a trip for a whole number of hours, averaging miles per hour. At the beginning of the trip, miles was displayed on the odometer, where is a -digit number with and At the end of the trip, the odometer showed miles. What is
Answer: D
Solution:
We know that the difference of the numbers and is equal to: We know that this number also must be a multiple of As is we know that is a multiple of and
This makes the only possible value with as every other combination has As such,
Thus, the correct answer is D.
15.
In rectangle and points and lie on so that and trisect as shown. What is the ratio of the area of to the area of rectangle
Answer: A
Solution:
The area of is equal to
Similarly, The area of is equal to
Thus, their ratio is
Then, This makes our result
Thus, the correct answer is A.
16.
Four fair six-sided dice are rolled. What is the probability that at least three of the four dice show the same value?
Answer: B
Solution:
There are two cases: All of the numbers are the same or one of the numbers is different from the other ones.
Case 1 - All numbers are the same: The probability of this is since there are combinations where they are all the same due to the possible values for the dice.
Case 2 - One of the numbers are: The probability of this is since there are ways to choose the dice that is different, values for the dice that are the same, and values for the other dice.
This makes the probability
Thus, the correct answer is B.
17.
What is the greatest power of that is a factor of
Answer: D
Solution:
Observe that: Then, since We know that is a multiple of making our number a multiple of
However, so is not a multiple of and as such, our number isn't a multiple of
Thus, the correct answer is D.
18.
A list of positive integers has a mean of a median of and a unique mode of What is the largest possible value of an integer in the list?
Answer: E
Solution:
Since is the median, there are numbers less than or equal to besides the middle.
Also, there are numbers greater than or equal to besides the middle.
Also, since is the unique mode, it must show up at least twice.
Furthermore, since we are trying to maximize the largest number and we have their mean, we need to minimize the sum of the first numbers. Finally, notice that the sum should be
Now, we could case on the number of times appears since every other number must show up less than it.
If it appears twice, every other number must show up at most once, so the maximum sum is This makes the largest number
If it appears three times, every other number must show up at most twice, so the maximum sum is This makes the largest number
If it appears four times, every other number must show up at most once, so the maximum sum is This makes the largest number
This makes the maximum
Thus, the correct answer is E.
19.
Two concentric circles have radii and Two points on the outer circle are chosen independently and uniformly at random. What is the probability that the chord joining the two points intersects the inner circle?
Answer: D
Solution:
First, without loss of generality, we could choose some point on the outer circle. Then, the second point can be chosen in a region on the other circle.
This region is such that it has a line that intersects the circle, so the edge of the region is such that the chord is perpendicular with the inner circle.
If we look at the angle at the center, we can see that it has 2 right triangles where the adjacent side is and the hypotenuse is making
Thus, making
Therefore, the probability is
Thus, the correct answer is D.
20.
For how many integers is the number negative?
Answer: C
Solution:
First, note that
If means that one of the terms is negative.
Since it must be that x^2-50 < 0, x^2-1 >0. This means making resulting in solutions.
Thus, the correct answer is C.
21.
Trapezoid has parallel sides of length and of length The other two sides are of lengths and The angles and are acute. What is the length of the shorter diagonal of
Answer: B
Solution:
Let the base of the altitude from to be and let the base of the altitude from to be Also, let since we can assign any value. This yields the following diagram:
Then, let and the altitude be This means
This suggests that: Subtracting the equations, we get: Then, we want to find
Thus, the correct answer is B.
22.
Eight semicircles line the inside of a square with side length 2 as shown. What is the radius of the circle tangent to all of these semicircles?
Answer: B
Solution:
The distance from the center of the square to the center of the semicircles can be found as a hypotenuse of a right triangle.
One of the legs is from the center of the square to the center of one of the sides which is of distance
The other leg is from the center of the side to the center of one of the semicircles which is of distance This also shows that the radius of the semicircles is
Therefore, the distance from the center of the square to the center of the semicircle is Then , we subtract for the radius of the semicircle. This makes the radius of the circle
Thus, the correct answer is B.
23.
A sphere is inscribed in a truncated right circular cone as shown. The volume of the truncated cone is twice that of the sphere. What is the ratio of the radius of the bottom base of the truncated cone to the radius of the top base of the truncated cone?
Answer: E
Solution:
Let the radius of the sphere be Then, let the top have a radius of and let the bottom have a radius of Then, we could extend the cone to make a smaller cone on top with height This makes a larger cone with radius and height
Note that
This makes the volume of the whole cone and the volume of the top section
As such, the volume of the truncated cone is
Then, by making a slice in the cone, we get the picture above. Then, by making two lines from the corners to the center, we get similar right triangles, which makes Thus, we get
This makes the volume and This further simplifies the volume to The volume of the sphere is This implies Thus, Since we made the top circle of radius the ratio is
Thus, the correct answer is E.
24.
The numbers are to be arranged in a circle. An arrangement is if it is not true that for every from to one can find a subset of the numbers that appear consecutively on the circle that sum to Arrangements that differ only by a rotation or a reflection are considered the same. How many different bad arrangements are there?
Answer: B
Solution:
We wil always have the numbers by choosing the number, and we will always have by choosing the entire set except one. Then, is also chosen.
Therefore, we need to find Furthermore, if we have or we can get and by choosing the rest.
This means a configuration is only not bad if and only if we can find a set of numbers put together that adds to and
The only ways to make a sum is with a sequence of The only ways to make a sum is with a sequence of Note that the triples can be in any order.
This means that for any configuration without one of them, we need to prevent all of the combinations for one of the numbers. Thus, we can case on which number isn't accounted for.
Case 1: There is no
This means the isn't next to the Thus, it is next to the or However, it can't have both and so the must be next to and one of and
Also, this means the isn't next to the Thus, it is next to the or However, it can't have both and so the must be next to and one of and
Then, must be next to the and since if it is connected to the it would make a which has a sum of Thus, the configuration is starts with Since isn't next to we have as the only configuration.
Case 2: There is no
This means the isn't next to the Thus, it is next to the or However, it can't have both and so the must be next to and one of and
Also, this means the isn't next to the Thus, it is next to the or However, it can't have both and so the must be next to and one of and
Then, must be next to the and since if it is connected to the it would make a which has a sum of Thus, the configuration is starts with Since isn't next to we have as the only configuration.
This means there are only two configurations.
Thus, the correct answer is B.
25.
In a small pond there are eleven lily pads in a row labeled through A frog is sitting on pad When the frog is on pad it will jump to pad with probability and to pad with probability Each jump is independent of the previous jumps.
If the frog reaches pad it will be eaten by a patiently waiting snake. If the frog reaches pad it will exit the pond, never to return. What is the probability that the frog will escape without being eaten by the snake?
Answer: C
Solution:
Let the value be the probability of winning at each time. Then, for all we have Also, by symmetry, we have Our goal is to find
Then,
Then,
Then,
Then,
This suggests that
Thus, the correct answer is C.