Question

Call a number "prime-looking" if it is composite but not divisible by $2, 3,$ or $5.$ The three smallest prime-looking numbers are $49, 77,$ and $91.$ There are $168$ prime numbers less than $1000.$ How many prime-looking numbers are there less than $1000?$

$100$

$102$

$104$

$106$

$108$

Answer: A

Concepts:inclusion-exclusion prime counting integers in a range

Difficulty rating: 1950

Solution:

Among the $999$ numbers from $1$ to $999,$ inclusion-exclusion gives $\begin{aligned} &499 + 333 + 199 - 166 \\ &\quad {}- 99 - 66 + 33 = 733 \end{aligned}$ that are divisible by $2, 3,$ or $5.$

That leaves $999 - 733 = 266$ numbers coprime to $2, 3, 5.$ Of these, $165$ are primes (the $168$ primes minus $2, 3, 5$ ), and $1$ is neither prime nor composite.

The remaining $266 - 165 - 1 = 100$ numbers are prime-looking.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

2005 AMC 12A Problem 18

Answer: A

Difficulty rating: 1950

Solution:

Problem 18 in Other Years