2010 AMC 12B Exam Solutions
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All of the real AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12, and AIME problems in our complete solution collection are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
1.
Makayla attended two meetings during her -hour work day. The first meeting took minutes and the second meeting took twice as long. What percent of her work day was spent attending meetings?
Difficulty rating: 800
Solution:
The two meetings lasted minutes, and the work day is minutes.
The fraction of the day spent in meetings is
Thus, the correct answer is C.
2.
A big L is formed as shown. What is its area?
Difficulty rating: 880
Solution:
The region splits into an vertical rectangle and a horizontal foot, whose width is
The total area is
Thus, the correct answer is A.
3.
A ticket to a school play costs dollars, where is a whole number. A group of th graders buys tickets costing a total of $ and a group of th graders buys tickets costing a total of $ How many values for are possible?
Difficulty rating: 1010
Solution:
The price must divide both totals, so is a common divisor of and
Since the common divisors are and There are possible values.
Thus, the correct answer is E.
4.
A month with days has the same number of Mondays and Wednesdays. How many of the seven days of the week could be the first day of this month?
Difficulty rating: 1240
Solution:
Since the first three days of the month each occur five times, and the other four days occur four times.
Mondays and Wednesdays are equal in number exactly when both fall in the five-time group or both fall in the four-time group.
If the first day is Monday, the five-time days are Mon, Tue, Wed (both appear five times). If the first day is Thursday or Friday, the five-time days miss both Monday and Wednesday (both appear four times). Every other starting day includes exactly one of Monday or Wednesday.
So the first day can be Monday, Thursday, or Friday, giving possibilities.
Thus, the correct answer is B.
5.
Lucky Larry's teacher asked him to substitute numbers for and in the expression and evaluate the result. Larry ignored the parentheses but added and subtracted correctly and obtained the correct result by coincidence. The numbers Larry substituted for and were and respectively. What number did Larry substitute for
Difficulty rating: 1100
Solution:
The correct value is With this equals
Larry dropped the parentheses and computed
Setting gives so
Thus, the correct answer is D.
6.
At the beginning of the school year, of all students in Mr. Wells' math class answered "Yes" to the question "Do you love math", and answered "No." At the end of the school year, answered "Yes" and answered "No." Altogether, of the students gave a different answer at the beginning and end of the school year. What is the difference between the maximum and the minimum possible values of
Difficulty rating: 1410
Solution:
Assume students. The number of "Yes" answers rises from to so at least students switched from "No" to "Yes"; thus
Since only students answer "No" at the end, at least of the original "Yes" students still answer "Yes," so at most students switched; thus
Both extremes are achievable, so the difference is
Thus, the correct answer is D.
7.
Shelby drives her scooter at a speed of miles per hour if it is not raining, and miles per hour if it is raining. Today she drove in the sun in the morning and in the rain in the evening, for a total of miles in minutes. How many minutes did she drive in the rain?
Difficulty rating: 1240
Solution:
Let be the number of minutes driven in the rain. She covers miles in the rain and miles in the sun.
Setting the total to gives so and
Thus, the correct answer is C.
8.
Every high school in the city of Euclid sent a team of students to a math contest. Each participant in the contest received a different score. Andrea's score was the median among all students, and hers was the highest score on her team. Andrea's teammates Beth and Carla placed th and th, respectively. How many schools are in the city?
Difficulty rating: 1490
Solution:
With schools there are students. Carla placed th, so and
The scores are distinct and Andrea is the median, so is odd, forcing odd and
Andrea's position is and she beat Beth (th), so giving and The only odd value is
Thus, the correct answer is B.
9.
Let be the smallest positive integer such that is divisible by is a perfect cube, and is a perfect square. What is the number of digits of
Difficulty rating: 1520
Solution:
To be smallest, uses only the primes of so with and
Since is a perfect cube, and Since is a perfect square, and Hence and
The smallest choice is so which has digits.
Thus, the correct answer is E.
10.
The average of the numbers and is What is
Difficulty rating: 1410
Solution:
The numbers through sum to
The average condition is so and
Thus
Thus, the correct answer is B.
11.
A palindrome between and is chosen at random. What is the probability that it is divisible by
Difficulty rating: 1500
Solution:
A four-digit palindrome has the form with and
Since is divisible by and is not, the number is divisible by exactly when that is or
For each that is of the choices of a probability of
Thus, the correct answer is E.
12.
For what value of does
Difficulty rating: 1500
Solution:
Let Converting each term to base
and
The equation becomes so and
Thus, the correct answer is D.
13.
In and What is
Difficulty rating: 1560
Solution:
A cosine plus a sine equals only when each equals So and giving and
Solving, and so is a right triangle with the right angle at
With hypotenuse the side opposite the angle is half the hypotenuse, so
Thus, the correct answer is C.
14.
Let and be positive integers with and let be the largest of the sums and What is the smallest possible value of
Difficulty rating: 1670
Solution:
Each of and is at most (note ). Adding, so
If then but then a contradiction. Hence
The value is reached by whose consecutive-pair sums are
Thus, the correct answer is B.
15.
For how many ordered triples of nonnegative integers less than are there exactly two distinct elements in the set where
Difficulty rating: 2070
Solution:
We need exactly two of equal, with the third different. The three cases are the three possible equal pairs.
Case since but for we need so and i.e. Then is any of the values other than This gives triples.
Case the only nonnegative-integer value of is (with a multiple of ), so and meaning This gives triples.
Case since the power is a nonnegative integer below only for (value ) or (value ). If we need so is not a multiple of ( values). If then is never so is free ( values). This gives triples.
Altogether
Thus, the correct answer is D.
16.
Positive integers and are randomly and independently selected with replacement from the set What is the probability that is divisible by
Difficulty rating: 1810
Solution:
Factor Since is a multiple of each of is uniform modulo
If (probability ), the product is divisible by
If (probability ), we need Checking residues, this holds exactly when or a probability of
The total probability is
Thus, the correct answer is E.
17.
The entries in a array include all the digits from through arranged so that the entries in every row and column are in increasing order. How many such arrays are there?
Difficulty rating: 1980
Solution:
Write for the entry in row column The conditions force and
If then and split as complementary pairs filling the rest of the last row and column: splits times orders for gives arrays. By symmetry also gives
If then and are complementary subsets of subject to the ordering constraints, forcing the first set to be or this gives arrays.
Altogether
Thus, the correct answer is D.
18.
A frog makes jumps, each exactly meter long. The directions of the jumps are chosen independently and at random. What is the probability that the frog's final position is no more than meter from its starting position?
Difficulty rating: 2030
Solution:
This is a continuous (geometric) probability. Anchor the second jump from to and let be the directions of the first and third jumps, so the start is and the end is
Taking and the requirement holds exactly when
In the -rectangle of area the favorable region is a triangle of area so the probability is
Thus, the correct answer is C.
19.
A high school basketball game between the Raiders and the Wildcats was tied at the end of the first quarter. The number of points scored by the Raiders in each of the four quarters formed an increasing geometric sequence, and the number of points scored by the Wildcats in each of the four quarters formed an increasing arithmetic sequence. At the end of the fourth quarter, the Raiders had won by one point. Neither team scored more than points. What was the total number of points scored by the two teams in the first half?
Difficulty rating: 2180
Solution:
Let the Raiders score (increasing geometric, ) and the Wildcats (increasing arithmetic), tied in the first quarter at
Every quarter score is a positive integer and each total is under so the ratio and first term are small. Testing gives Raiders with total
The Wildcats then total so giving The Raiders won to
The first-half total is
Thus, the correct answer is E.
20.
A geometric sequence has and for some real number For what value of does
Difficulty rating: 2240
Solution:
The common ratio is Then
From we get so i.e.
Hence Also so
Therefore so
Thus, the correct answer is E.
21.
Let and let be a polynomial with integer coefficients such that and What is the smallest possible value of
Difficulty rating: 2300
Solution:
Since are roots of write with having integer coefficients.
Evaluating at (where ) gives
So and all divide hence divides Since is odd, so
The value is attainable, so the smallest is
Thus, the correct answer is B.
22.
Let be a cyclic quadrilateral. The side lengths of are distinct integers less than such that What is the largest possible value of
Difficulty rating: 2420
Solution:
Let and Writing each triangle's area in terms of the circumradius and using gives
Ptolemy's theorem gives Eliminating
The sides are distinct integers below with so neither nor can appear (each is prime and would need a matching factor on the other side).
To maximize, take the largest side Writing the others as with the best case is giving and Then so
Thus, the correct answer is D.
23.
Monic quadratic polynomials and have the property that has zeros at and and has zeros at and What is the sum of the minimum values of and
Difficulty rating: 2420
Solution:
Write and with minimum values and
The zeros of occur where their four solutions are symmetric about so is the average Then and this difference equals so
Symmetrically, and so
The sum of the minimum values is
Thus, the correct answer is A.
24.
The set of real numbers for which is the union of intervals of the form What is the sum of the lengths of these intervals?
Difficulty rating: 2320
Solution:
Let be the left-hand side. On each interval between consecutive asymptotes the function is decreasing, and for all
On each of and the solution is the part from the left asymptote up to a value where So the solution set consists of three intervals with left endpoints and right endpoints
The total length is
Clearing denominators in gives whose roots are By Vieta, so the sum of lengths is
Thus, the correct answer is C.
25.
For every integer let be the largest power of the largest prime that divides For example, What is the largest integer such that divides
Difficulty rating: 2640
Solution:
Since write the product as times a factor coprime to all four primes; then
Prime is a power of only when Since the values contribute
Prime when is the largest prime factor, i.e. with and every prime factor of at most excluding leaves values. The one with is adding So
A similar count shows the exponents of and are each at least
Therefore
Thus, the correct answer is D.