2006 AMC 10A Problem 2

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 2 of the 2006 AMC 10A, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2006 AMC 10A solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:custom operationalgebraic manipulation

Difficulty rating: 960

2.

Define xy=x3y.x \otimes y = x^3 - y. What is h(hh)?h \otimes (h \otimes h)?

h-h

00

hh

2h2h

h3h^3

Solution:

The inner operation gives hh=h3h.h \otimes h = h^3 - h. Then h(h3h)=h3(h3h)=h. h \otimes (h^3 - h) = h^3 - (h^3 - h) = h.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

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