2021 AMC 10A Fall Exam Solutions
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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.
What is the value of
Solution:
We can simplify the expression as follows:
Thus, C is the correct answer.
2.
Menkara has a index card. If she shortens the length of one side of this card by inch, the card would have area square inches. What would the area of the card be in square inches if instead she shortens the length of the other side by inch?
Solution:
If she shortens the unit side by she has a card, which has an area of
If Menkara shortens the other side, she gets a card, which has an area of
In the problem, Menkara shortened the unit side. Therefore, the area of the card if she shortened the other side is
Thus, E is the correct answer.
3.
What is the maximum number of balls of clay of radius that can completely fit inside a cube of side length assuming the balls can be reshaped but not compressed before they are packed in the cube?
Solution:
The volume of the cube is The volume of a ball of clay is
Since the balls can be reshaped but not compressed, the answer is
Approximating using we get and Since we get that
Thus, D is the correct answer.
4.
Mr. Lopez has a choice of two routes to get to work. Route A is miles long, and his average speed along this route is miles per hour. Route B is miles long, and his average speed along this route is miles per hour, except for a -mile stretch in a school zone where his average speed is miles per hour. By how many minutes is Route B quicker than Route A?
Solution:
Mr. Lopez would take minutes to travel on Route A.
On Route B, he would take minutes.
The difference in times along these routes is minutes.
Thus, B is the correct answer.
5.
The six-digit number is prime for only one digit What is
Solution:
Note that cannot be even, as then the number would be divisible by
also cannot be as that would make the number divisible by
If equaled or then the sum of the digits of the number would be and respectively.
This would make the number divisible by so that rules out equaling either of these numbers.
Finally, if equals then the whole number becomes If we look at the difference of the sums of alternating digits, we get which means the number is divisible by
This means that must be
Thus, E is the correct answer.
6.
Elmer the emu takes equal strides to walk between consecutive telephone poles on a rural road. Oscar the ostrich can cover the same distance in equal leaps. The telephone poles are evenly spaced, and the st pole along this road is exactly one mile ( feet) from the first pole. How much longer, in feet, is Oscar's leap than Elmer's stride?
Solution:
There are gaps between the st and st pole, which means that the distance between consecutive poles is feet.
This means that each of Elmer's strides is feet. Similarly, each of Oscar's strides is feet. This makes Oscar's leap feet longer.
Thus, B is the correct answer.
7.
As shown in the figure below, point lies on the opposite half-plane determined by line from point so that Point lies on so that and is a square. What is the degree measure of
Solution:
Since we get that Also since is isosceles, we get that Finally, we get that
Thus, D is the correct answer.
8.
A two-digit positive integer is said to be cuddly if it is equal to the sum of its nonzero tens digit and the square of its units digit. How many two-digit positive integers are cuddly?
Solution:
Let be a -digit cuddly number.
Then Rearranging, we get This means that divides either or ( cannot divide both and ).
The only way this is possible is if ( is one digit, so it can't be anything else). Checking, we get that is a cuddly number. This shows that there is only two-digit cuddly number.
Thus, B is the correct answer.
9.
When a certain unfair die is rolled, an even number is times as likely to appear as an odd number. The die is rolled twice. What is the probability that the sum of the numbers rolled is even?
Solution:
Let be the probability that an odd number is rolled. Then is the probability an even number is rolled. We know that
The only way for the sum to be even is if both rolls have the same parity. This happens with a probability of
Thus, E is the correct answer.
10.
A school has students and teachers. In the first period, each student is taking one class, and each teacher is teaching one class. The enrollments in the classes are and Let be the average value obtained if a teacher is picked at random and the number of students in their class is noted. Let be the average value obtained if a student was picked at random and the number of students in their class, including the student, is noted. What is
Solution:
Recall
Therefore, and
Thus, B is the correct answer.
11.
Emily sees a ship traveling at a constant speed along a straight section of a river. She walks parallel to the riverbank at a uniform rate faster than the ship. She counts equal steps walking from the back of the ship to the front. Walking in the opposite direction, she counts steps of the same size from the front of the ship to the back. In terms of Emily's equal steps, what is the length of the ship?
Solution:
Let be the length of the ship. Then in the time that Emily moves steps, the ship moves steps.
In the time that Emily moves steps, the ship moves steps. Since the ship and Emily move at a constant rate Cross-multiplying yields
Thus, A is the correct answer.
12.
The base-nine representation of the number is What is the remainder when is divided by
Solution:
Note that Then if expand using the definition of bases, we get
Thus, D is the correct answer.
13.
Each of balls is randomly and independently painted either black or white with equal probability. What is the probability that every ball is different in color from more than half of the other balls?
Solution:
Note that for this restriction to hold, there must be balls of each color.
There are ways to color the balls and to choose which balls are white.
The desired probability is therefore
Thus, D is the correct answer.
14.
How many ordered pairs of real numbers satisfy the following system of equations?
Solution:
The second equation seems very similar to that of a diamond. Rearranging, we get
We can graph this to see if we can figure out where the intersection points are.
From this, we can see that there are intersection points.
Thus, D is the correct answer.
15.
Isosceles triangle has and a circle with radius is tangent to line at and to line at What is the area of the circle that passes through vertices and
Solution:
Let be the circle that is tangent to and Then making the two angles supplementary. This makes cyclic.
Let be the circumcircle of This makes the circumcircle of as well.
We also know that is the diameter of since bisects
By the Pythagorean theorem, we get that This makes the area of
Thus, C is the correct answer.
16.
The graph of is symmetric about which of the following? (Here is the greatest integer not exceeding )
Solution:
Note that
This means that
Therefore, the graph is symmetric about the point
Thus, D is the correct answer.
17.
An architect is building a structure that will place vertical pillars at the vertices of regular hexagon which is lying horizontally on the ground. The six pillars will hold up a flat solar panel that will not be parallel to the ground. The heights of pillars at and are and meters, respectively. What is the height, in meters, of the pillar at
Solution:
Note that the inclination from pillar to pillar is since the solar panel is flat.
Let be the center of the solar panel. Since we get that the height at is
We also know that the heights at and are collinear. This makes the height of the pillar at
Thus, D is the correct answer.
18.
A farmer's rectangular field is partitioned into by grid of rectangular sections as shown in the figure. In each section the farmer will plant one crop: corn, wheat, soybeans, or potatoes. The farmer does not want to grow corn and wheat in any two sections that share a border, and the farmer does not want to grow soybeans and potatoes in any two sections that share a border. Given these restrictions, in how many ways can the farmer choose crops to plant in each of the four sections of the field?
Solution:
There are cases.
Case the top-right and bottom-left sections have the same crop
There are options for which crop is in those sections. The other two sections have options for the crop since each crop has one restriction for crops next to it. This gives us combinations.
Case the top-right and bottom-left sections have different crops
There are options for which crop is in the top-left section. Then there are options for the top-right and for the bottom-left. This leaves options for the bottom-right section. This gives us another configurations.
In total, there are combinations.
Thus, C is the correct answer.
19.
A disk of radius rolls all the way around the inside of a square of side length and sweeps out a region of area A second disk of radius rolls all the way around the outside of the same square and sweeps out a region of area The value of can be written as where and are positive integers and and are relatively prime. What is
Solution:
The side length of the inner square traced out by the inner circle is
There are also the small pieces remaining in the corner. These form a total area of
Therefore,
The outer disk traces out an area that is comprised of rectangles and quarter-circles. The rectangles have area and the quarter-circles form a circle with radius and area
This gives us
Equating the two equations we get Solving yields
Thus, A is the correct answer.
20.
How many ordered pairs of positive integers exist where both and do not have distinct, real solutions?
Solution:
Recall that the only way a quadratic does not have distinct, real solutions is if the discriminant is nonpositive.
This gives us that
Squaring the first inequality gives us that since and are positive.
Multiplying the second inequality by and combining gives us
The only values of that satisfy are and
Case
This gives us
Only and work.
Case
This gives us
Only and work.
Case
This gives us
Only works.
Case
This gives us
Only works.
This gives us a total of pairs that work.
Thus, B is the correct answer.
21.
Each of balls is tossed independently and at random into one of the bins. Let be the probability that some bin ends up with balls, another with balls, and the other three with balls each. Let be the probability that every bin ends up with balls. What is
Solution:
For the sake of simplicity, we can assume the balls and bins are both distinguishable.
Since each case includes having balls in bins, we can leave those out during our calculation.
For there are choices for the bin with balls and then choices for the bin with balls. Finally, there are ways to choose which balls go in the bins.
For after cancelling out of the s, there are ways to ensure balls go in each of the remaining bins.
Since the total number of distributions is the same for both and we can let be the ratio of the numerators. Therefore,
Thus, E is the correct answer.
22.
Inside a right circular cone with base radius and height are three congruent spheres with radius Each sphere is tangent to the other two spheres and also tangent to the base and side of the cone. What is
Solution:
We can use coordinate geometry to solve this problem.
WLOG, let the origin be the center of the base of the cone. Then let the center of the one of the spheres be We get this -coordinate since the centers of the spheres form an equilateral triangle.
We know that this sphere is internally tangent to the cone, so we know that it is tangent to the plane with equation The distance from the center of the sphere to this plane is then
Using the formula for the distance to a plane from a point, we get
Solving for we get
Thus, B is the correct answer.
23.
For each positive integer let be twice the number of positive integer divisors of and for let For how many values of is
Solution:
First, let us see what values of satisfy For this to happen, must have factors. This is only possible if or where and are primes.
The only numbers less than that work are
Note that This means that if then when
This means that all the values listed above satisfy This also tells us that if some equals any of the above numbers, then
The only possibilities such that is if is either or This means must have either or factors.
This means is of the form or The only numbers less than that work are and
We have exhausted all the possible values such that This gives us total solutions.
Thus, D is the correct answer.
24.
Each of the edges of a cube is labeled or Two labelings are considered different even if one can be obtained from the other by a sequence of one or more rotations and/or reflections. For how many such labelings is the sum of the labels on the edges of each of the faces of the cube equal to
Solution:
Label the cube as follows.
Note that each face must have zeros and ones.This means that for all faces, there are zeros and ones.
We can case on the sides of
Case opposite sides have the same label
This gives us ways to label the edges of WLOG, let and be labeled respectively. We multiply by at the end to take care of the other case.
Then we can apply casework to the label of
If its label is then we know that the label of and is to satisfy the condition for the top face.
Then and must be This forces and to be Finally, must be
If is we can walk through all the faces as before, which will tell us that there is only possible case in this scenario.
Therefore, this cases has possible labelings.
Case opposite edges have different labels
There are ways to label the faces of WLOG, label and be labeled respectively. We can multiply by at the end for the other cases.
Now we case on the labels of and
As above, we can go through each pair of labels to see that each pair only gives us one possible labeling of the cube. There are pairs, so this gives us configurations.
Therefore, this case has possible labelings.
Finally, there are a total of labelings.
Thus, E is the correct answer.
25.
A quadratic polynomial with real coefficients and leading coefficient is called disrespectful if the equation is satisfied by exactly three real numbers. Among all the disrespectful quadratic polynomials, there is a unique such polynomial for which the sum of the roots is maximized. What is
Solution:
Let and be the roots of Then
Note that the solutions to are the solutions to and
Since there are only distinct solutions, one of these quadratics must have a double root, and the other has to have distinct roots.
WLOG, let the first equation be the one with a double root. Then we know that its discriminant is This give us
For the other equation to have solutions, its discriminant must be positive.
From above, we can conclude that
We know that the sum of the roots of is This is maximized when yielding Then
Thus, A is the correct answer.