2012 AMC 12A Problem 6

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 6 of the 2012 AMC 12A, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2012 AMC 12A solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:system of equations

Difficulty rating: 1080

6.

The sums of three whole numbers taken in pairs are 12,12, 17,17, and 19.19. What is the middle number?

44

55

66

77

88

Solution:

Let the numbers be a<b<c.a \lt b \lt c. Adding the three pairwise sums gives 2(a+b+c)=12+17+19=48,2(a+b+c) = 12+17+19 = 48, so a+b+c=24.a+b+c = 24.

Then a=2419=5,a = 24-19 = 5, b=2417=7,b = 24-17 = 7, and c=2412=12.c = 24-12 = 12. The middle number is 7.7.

Thus, the correct answer is D.

Problem 6 in Other Years