2012 AMC 8 Problem 21

Attempt Problem 21 of the 2012 AMC 8 below, then check your answer against the video solution and professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2012 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

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

21.

Marla has a large white cube that has an edge of 1010 feet. She also has enough green paint to cover 300300 square feet. Marla uses all the paint to create a white square centered on each face, surrounded by a green border. What is the area of one of the white squares, in square feet?
52 5\sqrt2
10 10
102 10\sqrt2
50 50
502 50\sqrt2
Answer: D
Concepts:surface areacube geometry
Small hint:
The green paint covers half of the cube surface area.
Big hint:
The remaining unpainted area is split equally among the six faces.
Video solution:
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Written solution:
The total surface area is 6⋅10⋅10=600.6\cdot 10\cdot 10 = 600. Therefore, 600−300=300600-300 = 300 square feet aren’t covered. This would be 3006=50 \dfrac{300}{6} = 50 square feet per face.
Thus, the answer is D .
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