2005 AMC 8 Problem 20
Attempt Problem 20 of the 2005 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 2005 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.
All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
20.
Alice and Bob play a game involving a circle whose circumference is divided by equally-spaced points. The points are numbered clockwise, from to Both start on point Alice moves clockwise and Bob, counterclockwise. In a turn of the game, Alice moves points clockwise and Bob moves points counterclockwise. The game ends when they stop on the same point. How many turns will this take?
Answer: A
Small hint:
Track the relative motion of Alice and Bob around the circle.
Big hint:
Together they close the gap by points each turn, modulo .
Solution:
After one turn, Alice has moved points clockwise and Bob has moved points counterclockwise. Their relative movement is points per turn.
They meet when is a multiple of , where is the number of turns.
Since , the smallest positive making a multiple of is .
Thus, A is the correct answer.
Problem 20 in other years
- 1985 AMC 8
- 1986 AMC 8
- 1987 AMC 8
- 1988 AMC 8
- 1989 AMC 8
- 1990 AMC 8
- 1991 AMC 8
- 1992 AMC 8
- 1993 AMC 8
- 1994 AMC 8
- 1995 AMC 8
- 1996 AMC 8
- 1997 AMC 8
- 1998 AMC 8
- 1999 AMC 8
- 2000 AMC 8
- 2001 AMC 8
- 2002 AMC 8
- 2003 AMC 8
- 2004 AMC 8
- 2006 AMC 8
- 2007 AMC 8
- 2008 AMC 8
- 2009 AMC 8
- 2010 AMC 8
- 2011 AMC 8
- 2012 AMC 8
- 2013 AMC 8
- 2014 AMC 8
- 2015 AMC 8
- 2016 AMC 8
- 2017 AMC 8
- 2018 AMC 8
- 2019 AMC 8
- 2020 AMC 8
- 2022 AMC 8
- 2023 AMC 8
- 2024 AMC 8
- 2025 AMC 8
- 2026 AMC 8