2009 AMC 8 Problem 10

Attempt Problem 10 of the 2009 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 2009 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

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

10.

On a checkerboard composed of 6464 unit squares, what is the probability that a randomly chosen unit square does not touch the outer edge of the board?
116\dfrac{1}{16}
716\dfrac{7}{16}
12\dfrac{1}{2}
916\dfrac{9}{16}
4964\dfrac{49}{64}
Answer: D
Concepts:basic probability
Small hint:
Only the squares strictly inside the border do not touch the edge.
Big hint:
An 8×88\times8 board has a 6×66\times6 interior.
Solution:
There are (8−2)2=62=36(8 - 2)^2 = 6^2 = 36 squares on the interior.
This means that the probability of choosing one of these squares is 3664=916. \dfrac{36}{64} = \dfrac{9}{16}.
Thus, D is the correct answer.
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