2015 AMC 12A Problem 18

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 18 of the 2015 AMC 12A, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2015 AMC 12A solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:Vieta’s FormulasSimon’s Favorite Factoring Trick

Difficulty rating: 1990

18.

The zeros of the function f(x)=x2ax+2af(x) = x^2 - ax + 2a are integers. What is the sum of the possible values of a?a?

77

88

1616

1717

1818

Solution:

Let the integer zeros be pp and q.q. By Vieta's formulas p+q=ap + q = a and pq=2a,pq = 2a, so pq=2(p+q).pq = 2(p+q). Rearranging gives (p2)(q2)=4.(p-2)(q-2) = 4.

The integer factor pairs of 44 are (1,4),(2,2),(4,1),(1,4),(2,2),(4,1),(1,4),(2,2),(4,1),(-1,-4),(-2,-2),(-4,-1), which yield (p,q)(p,q) pairs summing to a=9,8,1,a = 9, 8, -1, and 0.0.

The distinct possible values of aa are 9,8,0,1,9, 8, 0, -1, whose sum is 16.16.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

Problem 18 in Other Years