1992 AMC 8 Problem 3

Attempt Problem 3 of the 1992 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 1992 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

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

3.

What is the largest difference that can be formed by subtracting two numbers chosen from the set {−16,−4,0,2,4,12}?\{-16, -4, 0, 2, 4, 12\}?
1010
1212
1616
2828
4848
Answer: D
Concepts:optimization
Small hint:
A difference is largest when you subtract the smallest number from the largest number
Big hint:
Subtracting a negative adds; compute 12−(−16)12 - (-16)
Solution:
The largest difference uses the largest number, 1212, minus the smallest number, −16.-16.
This gives 12−(−16)=28.12 - (-16) = 28.
Thus, the correct answer is D .
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