2010 AMC 8 Problem 5

Attempt Problem 5 of the 2010 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 2010 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

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

5.

Alice needs to replace a light bulb located 1010 centimeters below the ceiling in her kitchen. The ceiling is 2.42.4 meters above the floor. Alice is 1.51.5 meters tall and can reach 4646 centimeters above the top of her head. Standing on a stool, she can just reach the light bulb. What is the height of the stool, in centimeters?
 32 \ 32
 34 \ 34
 36 \ 36
 38 \ 38
 40 \ 40
Answer: B
Concepts:unit conversion
Small hint:
The stool covers the remaining gap after Alice’s height, reach, and the bulb offset.
Big hint:
Convert the ceiling and Alice’s height to centimeters first.
Solution:
We know the height of the ceiling is 2.4⋅100=2402.4 \cdot 100 = 240 cm. Subtracting out all the given values, we get 240−150−46−10=34. 240 - 150 - 46 - 10 = 34. Therefore, the height of the stool is 3434 cm. Thus, B is the correct answer.
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