2021 AMC 12A Fall Problem 5

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 5 of the 2021 AMC 12A Fall, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2021 AMC 12A Fall solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:fencepost counting ratio and proportion

Difficulty rating: 1270

Elmer the emu takes $44$ equal strides to walk between consecutive telephone poles on a rural road. Oscar the ostrich can cover the same distance in $12$ equal leaps. The telephone poles are evenly spaced, and the $41$ st pole along this road is exactly one mile ( $5280$ feet) from the first pole. How much longer, in feet, is Oscar's leap than Elmer's stride?

$6$

$8$

$10$

$11$

$15$

Solution:

There are $40$ gaps between the first and $41$ st poles, so each gap is $\dfrac{5280}{40} = 132$ feet.

Elmer's stride is $\dfrac{132}{44} = 3$ feet and Oscar's leap is $\dfrac{132}{12} = 11$ feet, a difference of $11 - 3 = 8$ feet.

Thus, the correct answer is B.

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