2006 AMC 12B Problem 14

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 14 of the 2006 AMC 12B, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2006 AMC 12B solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:Diophantine Equationprime factorizationcasework

Difficulty rating: 1680

14.

Elmo makes NN sandwiches for a fundraiser. For each sandwich he uses BB globs of peanut butter at 44¢ per glob and JJ blobs of jam at 55¢ per blob. The cost of the peanut butter and jam to make all the sandwiches is $2.53.\$2.53. Assume that B,B, J,J, and NN are positive integers with N>1.N \gt 1. What is the cost of the jam Elmo uses to make the sandwiches?

$1.05\$1.05

$1.25\$1.25

$1.45\$1.45

$1.65\$1.65

$1.85\$1.85

Solution:

The total cost in cents is N(4B+5J)=253=1123.N(4B + 5J) = 253 = 11 \cdot 23. Since N>1,N \gt 1, the value of NN is 11,11, 23,23, or 253.253.

If N=253N = 253 then 4B+5J=1,4B + 5J = 1, and if N=23N = 23 then 4B+5J=11;4B + 5J = 11; neither has a positive integer solution.

So N=11N = 11 and 4B+5J=23,4B + 5J = 23, whose only positive solution is B=2,B = 2, J=3.J = 3.

The jam costs NJ5N \cdot J \cdot 5¢ =1135=165= 11 \cdot 3 \cdot 5 = 165 cents, or $1.65.\$1.65.

Thus, the correct answer is D.

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