2024 AMC 12A Problem 25

Attempt Problem 25 of the 2024 AMC 12A below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2024 AMC 12A solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

25.

A graph is symmetric about a line if the graph remains unchanged after reflection in that line. For how many quadruples of integers (a,b,c,d),(a,b,c,d), where a,b,c,d5|a|,|b|,|c|,|d|\le5 and cc and dd are not both 0,0, is the graph of y=ax+bcx+d y=\frac{ax+b}{cx+d} symmetric about the line y=x?y=x?

12821282

12921292

13101310

13201320

13301330

Answer: B
Concepts:functioncasework
Difficulty rating: 2720
Solution:

Reflecting the graph of y=f(x)y=f(x) over y=xy=x produces the graph of its inverse, so the graph is symmetric about y=xy=x exactly when ff equals its own inverse. For f(x)=ax+bcx+df(x)=\tfrac{ax+b}{cx+d} this happens in two ways: when a+d=0a+d=0 with adbc0ad-bc\ne0 (a genuine involution, including the slope1-1 lines when c=0c=0), or when ff is the identity y=xy=x (b=c=0, a=d0b=c=0,\ a=d\ne0).

For a+d=0,a+d=0, set d=a;d=-a; the determinant a2bc-a^2-bc must be nonzero, so we need a2+bc0,a^2+bc\ne0, together with (c,d)(0,0).(c,d)\ne(0,0). When a=0,a=0, both bb and cc must be nonzero, giving 102=10010^2=100 choices. For each nonzero a,a, start with 112=12111^2=121 choices of (b,c).(b,c). If a=1,3,4,|a|=1,3,4, or 5,5, exactly 22 pairs satisfy bc=a2;bc=-a^2; if a=2,|a|=2, exactly 66 pairs do. Thus the genuine involutions number 100+8(1212)+2(1216)=1282. \begin{gathered} 100+8(121-2)+2(121-6)\\ {}=1282. \end{gathered} The identity case adds 1010 more (a=d{±1,,±5}a=d\in\{\pm1,\ldots,\pm5\}), for a total of 1282+10=1292.1282+10=1292.

Thus, the correct answer is B.

← Problem 24#24
Full Exam

Problem 25 in Other Years