2022 AMC 12B Problem 16

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 16 of the 2022 AMC 12B, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2022 AMC 12B solutions, or check the answer key.

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).

Concepts:logarithmsubstitutionquadratic

Difficulty rating: 1800

16.

Suppose xx and yy are positive real numbers such that

xy=264and(log2x)log2y=27.x^y = 2^{64} \quad \text{and} \quad (\log_2 x)^{\log_2 y} = 2^7.

What is the greatest possible value of log2y?\log_2 y?

33

44

3+23 + \sqrt2

4+34 + \sqrt3

77

Solution:

Let a=log2xa = \log_2 x and b=log2y.b = \log_2 y. Taking log2\log_2 of xy=264x^y = 2^{64} gives ylog2x=64,y \log_2 x = 64, i.e. a2b=26.a \cdot 2^b = 2^6.

Taking log2\log_2 of the second equation gives blog2a=7,b \log_2 a = 7, so a=27/b.a = 2^{7/b}. Substituting, 27/b2b=26,2^{7/b} \cdot 2^b = 2^6, so b+7b=6,b + \dfrac7b = 6, i.e. b26b+7=0.b^2 - 6b + 7 = 0.

Thus b=3±2,b = 3 \pm \sqrt2, and the greatest value of log2y\log_2 y is 3+2.3 + \sqrt2.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

Problem 16 in Other Years