2008 AMC 12B Problem 12

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 12 of the 2008 AMC 12B, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2008 AMC 12B solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:meansummation

Difficulty rating: 1500

12.

For each positive integer n,n, the mean of the first nn terms of a sequence is n.n. What is the 20082008th term of the sequence?

20082008

40154015

40164016

4,030,0564{,}030{,}056

4,032,0644{,}032{,}064

Solution:

Since the mean of the first nn terms is n,n, their sum is nn=n2.n \cdot n = n^2.

The nnth term is the difference of consecutive sums, n2(n1)2=2n1.n^2 - (n-1)^2 = 2n - 1.

For n=2008,n = 2008, the term is 220081=4015.2 \cdot 2008 - 1 = 4015.

Thus, the correct answer is B.

Problem 12 in Other Years