2003 AMC 8 Problem 18

Attempt Problem 18 of the 2003 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 2003 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

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

18.

Each of the twenty dots on the graph below represents one of Sarah’s classmates. Classmates who are friends are connected with a line segment. For her birthday party, Sarah is inviting only the following: all of her friends and all of those classmates who are friends with at least one of her friends. How many classmates will not be invited to Sarah’s party?
11
44
55
66
77
Answer: D
Concepts:graph theorycomplementary counting
Small hint:
Sarah invites vertices at distance 11 or 22 from her.
Big hint:
Count the dots not within two line segments of Sarah.
Solution:
Sarah invites her friends and the classmates who are friends with at least one of her friends. In graph terms, she invites dots that are 11 or 22 line segments away from Sarah.
From the graph, 44 dots are disconnected from Sarah’s component, and 22 more dots in Sarah’s component are 33 segments away.
Those 4+2=64+2=6 classmates will not be invited.
Thus, D is the correct answer.
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