1970 AMC 12 Problem 32

Attempt Problem 32 of the 1970 AMC 12 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1970 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

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32.

AA and BB travel around a circular track at uniform speeds in opposite directions, starting from diametrically opposite points. If they start at the same time, meet first after BB has travelled 100100 yards, and meet a second time 6060 yards before AA completes one lap, then the circumference of the track in yards is:

400400

440440

480480

560560

880880

Answer: C
Concepts:relative speedcircumferenceratio and proportionsystem of equations
Difficulty rating: 2190
Small Hint:

Let the circumference be 2C2C and compare the two runners’ traveled-distance ratios at each meeting

Big Hint:

At the first meeting their distances are C100C-100 and 100100; at the second they are 2C602C-60 and C+60C+60

Solution:

Let the circumference be 2C.2C. At the first meeting, BB has traveled 100100 yards and AA has traveled C100,C-100, so their speed ratio is vAvB=C100100. \frac{v_A}{v_B}=\frac{C-100}{100}. At the second meeting, AA is 6060 yards short of one lap, so it has traveled 2C60.2C-60. By then their combined distance is 3C,3C, so BB has traveled C+60.C+60. Hence C100100=2C60C+60. \frac{C-100}{100}=\frac{2C-60}{C+60}. Cross-multiplying gives C=240,C=240, so the circumference is 2C=4802C=480 yards.

Therefore, the correct answer is C.

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