2000 AMC 8 Problem 10

Attempt Problem 10 of the 2000 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 2000 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

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

10.

Ara and Shea were once the same height. Since then Shea has grown 20%20\% while Ara has grown half as many inches as Shea. Shea is now 6060 inches tall. How tall, in inches, is Ara now?
4848
5151
5252
5454
5555
Answer: E
Concepts:percentagelinear equation
Small hint:
Recover the original common height from Shea’s new height
Big hint:
Ara grew half as many inches as Shea
Solution:
Let xx be Ara and Shea’s initial height. Then we get that 1.2x=60x=50. \begin{align*} 1.2x &= 60 \\ x &= 50. \end{align*}
This means that Shea grew 1010 inches, which means that Ara grew 10÷2=510 \div 2 = 5 inches, making her 50+5=5550 + 5 = 55 inches tall.
Thus, E is the correct answer.
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