1999 AMC 12 Problem 14

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 14 of the 1999 AMC 12, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1999 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:divisibilitydouble countingbounding to limit cases

Difficulty rating: 1610

14.

Four girls — Mary, Alina, Tina, and Hanna — sang songs in a concert as trios, with one girl sitting out each time. Hanna sang 77 songs, which was more than any other girl, and Mary sang 44 songs, which was fewer than any other girl. How many songs did these trios sing?

77

88

99

1010

1111

Solution:

If NN songs are sung, the total number of girl-appearances is 3N.3N. Alina and Tina each sang strictly between 44 and 7,7, so each sang 55 or 6.6.

Then 3N=7+4+(Alina)+(Tina),3N = 7 + 4 + (\text{Alina}) + (\text{Tina}), which is 21,22,21, 22, or 23.23. Only 2121 is a multiple of 3,3, so N=7.N = 7.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

Problem 14 in Other Years