1990 AMC 8 Problem 18

Attempt Problem 18 of the 1990 AMC 8 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 1990 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

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

18.

Every corner of a rectangular prism is cut off by a straight slice through the three edges meeting at that corner, removing a small triangular piece at each of the eight corners. How many edges does the new figure have?
2424
3030
3636
4242
4848
Answer: C
Concepts:polyhedron
Small hint:
The original rectangular prism has 1212 edges, and none of them disappear
Big hint:
Each corner cut creates a new triangular face, adding 33 new edges
Solution:
A rectangular prism starts with 1212 edges, and cutting corners only shortens them without removing any.
Each of the 88 corner cuts creates a small triangular face with 33 new edges, adding 8⋅3=248 \cdot 3 = 24 edges. The total is 12+24=3612 + 24 = 36.
Thus, the correct answer is C .
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