The MATheMATICAL ASSOCIATION Of AMeRICA

american Mathematics Competitions

58
th
Annual American Mathematics Contest 12
AMC 12
Contest A
Solutions Pamphlet
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 6, 2007
This Pamphlet gives at least one solution for each problem on this years contest and
shows that all problems can be solved without the use of a calculator. When more than
one solution is provided, this is done to illustrate a signifcant contrast in methods, e.g.,
algebraic vs geometric, computational vs conceptual, elementary vs advanced. These solu-
tions are by no means the only ones possible, nor are they superior to others the reader
may devise.
We hope that teachers will inform their students about these solutions, both as illustrations
of the kinds of ingenuity needed to solve nonroutine problems and as examples of good
mathematical exposition. However, the publication, reproduction or communication of the
problems or solutions of the AMC 12 during the period when students are eligible to participate
seriously jeopardizes the integrity of the results. Dissemination via copier, telephone, e-mail, World
Wide Web or media of any type during this period is a violation of the competition rules.
After the contest period, permission to make copies of individual problems in paper or electronic form including posting
on web-pages for educational use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for proft or
commercial advantage and that copies bear the copyright notice.
Correspondence about the problems/solutions for this AMC 12 and orders for any publications should be addressed to:
American Mathematics Competitions
University of Nebraska, P.O. Box 81606, Lincoln, NE 68501-1606
Phone: 402-472-2257; Fax: 402-472-6087; email: [email protected]
The problems and solutions for this AMC 12 were prepared by the MAAs Committee on the
AMC 10 and AMC 12 under the direction of AMC 12 Subcommittee Chair:

Prof. David Wells, Department of Mathematics
Penn State University, New Kensington, PA 15068
Copyright 2007, The Mathematical Association of America
Solutions 2007 58
th
AMC 12 A 2
1. Answer (C): Susan pays (4)(0.75)(20) = 60 dollars. Pam pays (5)(0.70)(20) =
70 dollars, so she pays 70 60 = 10 more dollars than Susan.
2. Answer (D): The brick has a volume of 40 20 10 = 8000 cubic centimeters.
Suppose that after the brick is placed in the tank, the water level rises by h
centimeters. Then the additional volume occupied in the aquarium is 10040h =
4000h cubic centimeters. Since this must be the same as the volume of the brick,
we have
8000 = 4000h and h = 2 centimeters
3. Answer (A): Let the smaller of the integers be x. Then the larger is x + 2.
So x + 2 = 3x, from which x = 1. Thus the two integers are 1 and 3, and their
sum is 4.
4. Answer (A): Kate rode for 30 minutes = 1/2 hour at 16 mph, so she rode 8
miles. She walked for 90 minutes = 3/2 hours at 4 mph, so she walked 6 miles.
Therefore she covered a total of 14 miles in 2 hours, so her average speed was 7
mph.
5. Answer (D): After paying the federal taxes, Mr. Public had 80% of his
inheritance money left. He paid 10% of that, or 8% of his inheritance, in state
taxes. Hence his total tax bill was 28% of his inheritance, and his inheritance
was $10,500/0.28 = $37,500.
6. Answer (D): Because ABC is isosceles, BAC =
1
2
(180

ABC) = 70

.
A
B
C
D
40
140
Similarly,
DAC =
1
2
(180

ADC) = 20

.
Thus BAD = BAC DAC = 50

.
OR
Because ABC and ADC are isosceles triangles, applying the Exterior Angle
Theorem to ABD gives BAD = 70

20

= 50

.
Solutions 2007 58
th
AMC 12 A 3
7. Answer (C): Let D be the dierence between consecutive terms of the se-
quence. Then a = c 2D, b = c D, d = c + D, and e = c + 2D, so
a + b + c + d + e = (c 2D) + (c D) + c + (c + D) + (c + 2D) = 5c.
Thus 5c = 30, so c = 6.
To see that the values of the other terms cannot be found, note that the se-
quences 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 both satisfy the given conditions.
8. Answer (C): Consider the two chords with an endpoint at 5. The arc sub-
tended by the angle determined by these chords extends from 10 to 12, so the
degree measure of the arc is (2/12)(360) = 60. By the Central Angle Theorem,
the degree measure of this angle is (1/2)(60) = 30. By symmetry, the degree
measure of the angle at each vertex is 30.
9. Answer (B): Let w be Yans walking speed, and let x and y be the distances
from Yan to his home and to the stadium, respectively. The time required for
Yan to walk to the stadium is y/w, and the time required for him to walk home
is x/w. Because he rides his bicycle at a speed of 7w, the time required for him
to ride his bicycle from his home to the stadium is (x + y)/(7w). Thus
y
w
=
x
w
+
x + y
7w
=
8x + y
7w
.
As a consequence, 7y = 8x + y, so 8x = 6y. The required ratio is x/y = 6/8 =
3/4.
OR
Because we are interested only in the ratio of the distances, we may assume that
the distance from Yans home to the stadium is 1 mile. Let x be his present
distance from his home. Imagine that Yan has a twin, Nay. While Yan walks
to the stadium, Nay walks to their home and continues 1/7 of a mile past their
home. Because walking 1/7 of a mile requires the same amount of time as riding
1 mile, Yan and Nay will complete their trips at the same time. Yan has walked
1 x miles while Nay has walked x +
1
7
miles, so 1 x = x +
1
7
. Thus x = 3/7,
1 x = 4/7, and the required ratio is x/(1 x) = 3/4.
10. Answer (A): Let the sides of the triangle have lengths 3x, 4x, and 5x. The
triangle is a right triangle, so its hypotenuse is a diameter of the circle. Thus
5x = 2 3 = 6, so x = 6/5. The area of the triangle is
1
2
3x 4x =
1
2

18
5

24
5
=
216
25
= 8.64.
OR
Solutions 2007 58
th
AMC 12 A 4
A right triangle with side lengths 3, 4, and 5 has area (1/2)(3)(4) = 6. Because
the given right triangle is inscribed in a circle with diameter 6, the hypotenuse
of this triangle has length 6. Thus the sides of the given triangle are 6/5 as
long as those of a 3 4 5 triangle, and its area is (6/5)
2
times that of a 3 4 5
triangle. The area of the given triangle is
_
6
5
_
2
(6) =
216
25
= 8.64.
11. Answer (D): A given digit appears as the hundreds digit, the tens digit, and
the units digit of a term the same number of times. Let k be the sum of the
units digits in all the terms. Then S = 111k = 3 37k, so S must be divisible
by 37. To see that S need not be divisible by any larger prime, note that the
sequence 123, 231, 312 gives S = 666 = 2 3
2
37.
12. Answer (E): The number ad bc is even if and only if ad and bc are both
odd or are both even. Each of ad and bc is odd if both of its factors are odd,
and even otherwise. Exactly half of the integers from 0 to 2007 are odd, so
each of ad and bc is odd with probability (1/2) (1/2) = 1/4 and are even with
probability 3/4. Hence the probability that ad bc is even is
1
4

1
4
+
3
4

3
4
=
5
8
.
13. Answer (B): The point (a, b) is the foot of the perpendicular from (12, 10)
to the line y = 5x + 18. The perpendicular has slope
1
5
, so its equation is
y = 10 +
1
5
(x 12) =
1
5
x +
38
5
.
The x-coordinate at the foot of the perpendicular satises the equation
1
5
x +
38
5
= 5x + 18,
so x = 2 and y = 5 2 + 18 = 8. Thus (a, b) = (2, 8), and a + b = 10.
OR
If the mouse is at (x, y) = (x, 18 5x), then the square of the distance from the
mouse to the cheese is
(x 12)
2
+ (8 5x)
2
= 26
_
x
2
4x + 8
_
= 26
_
(x 2)
2
+ 4
_
.
The value of this expression is smallest when x = 2, so the mouse is closest to
the cheese at the point (2, 8), and a + b = 2 + 8 = 10.
Solutions 2007 58
th
AMC 12 A 5
14. Answer (C): If 45 is expressed as a product of ve distinct integer factors,
the absolute value of the product of any four is at least |(3)(1)(1)(3)| = 9,
so no factor can have an absolute value greater than 5. Thus the factors of the
given expression are ve of the integers 1, 3, and 5. The product of all
six of these is 225 = (5)(45), so the factors are 3, 1, 1, 3, and 5. The
corresponding values of a, b, c, d, and e are 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1, and their sum is
25.
15. Answer (E): The mean of the augmented set is (28 + n)/5. If n < 6, the
median of that set is 6, so 28 +n = 5 6, and n = 2. If 6 < n < 9, the median is
n, so 28 + n = 5n, and n = 7. If n > 9, the median is 9, so 28 + n = 5 9, and
n = 17. Thus the sum of all possible values of n is 2 + 7 + 17 = 26.
16. Answer (C): The set of the three digits of such a number can be arranged to
form an increasing arithmetic sequence. There are 8 possible sequences with a
common dierence of 1, since the rst term can be any of the digits 0 through 7.
There are 6 possible sequences with a common dierence of 2, 4 with a common
dierence of 3, and 2 with a common dierence of 4. Hence there are 20 possible
arithmetic sequences. Each of the 4 sets that contain 0 can be arranged to form
22! = 4 dierent numbers, and the 16 sets that do not contain 0 can be arranged
to form 3! = 6 dierent numbers. Thus there are a total of 4 4 + 16 6 = 112
numbers with the required properties.
17. Answer (B): Square both sides of both given equations to obtain
sin
2
a + 2 sin a sinb + sin
2
b = 5/3 and cos
2
a + 2 cos a cos b + cos
2
b = 1.
Then add corresponding sides of the resulting equations to obtain
_
sin
2
a + cos
2
a
_
+
_
sin
2
b + cos
2
b
_
+ 2(sina sinb + cos a cos b) =
8
3
.
Because sin
2
a + cos
2
a = sin
2
b + cos
2
b = 1, it follows that
cos(a b) = sina sinb + cos a cos b =
1
3
.
One ordered pair (a, b) that satises the given condition is approximately
(0.296, 1.527).
18. Answer (D): Because f(x) has real coecients and 2i and 2 +i are zeros, so
are their conjugates 2i and 2 i. Therefore
f(x) = (x + 2i)(x 2i)(x (2 + i))(x (2 i)) = (x
2
+ 4)(x
2
4x + 5)
= x
4
4x
3
+ 9x
2
16x + 20.
Hence a + b + c + d = 4 + 9 16 + 20 = 9.
Solutions 2007 58
th
AMC 12 A 6
OR
As in the rst solution,
f(x) = (x + 2i)(x 2i)(x (2 + i))(x (2 i)),
so
a+b+c+d = f(1)1 = (1+2i)(12i)(1i)(1+i)1 = (1+4)(1+1)1 = 9.
19. Answer (E): Let h be the length of the altitude from A in ABC. Then
2007 =
1
2
BC h =
1
2
223 h,
so h = 18. Thus A is on one of the lines y = 18 or y = 18. Line DE has
equation x y 300 = 0. Let A have coordinates (a, b). By the formula for the
distance from a point to a line, the distance from A to line DE is |ab300|/

2.
The area of ADE is
7002 =
1
2

|a b 300|

2
DE =
1
2

|a 18 300|

2
9

2.
Thus a = 18 1556 + 300, and the sum of the four possible values of a is
4 300 = 1200.
OR
As above, conclude that A is on one of the lines y = 18. By similar reasoning, A
is on one of two particular lines l
1
and l
2
parallel to DE. Therefore there are four
possible positions for A, determined by the intersections of the lines y = 18 and
y = 18 with each of l
1
and l
2
. Let the line y = 18 intersect l
1
and l
2
in points
(x
1
, y
1
) and (x
2
, y
2
), and let the line y = 18 intersect l
1
and l
2
in points (x
3
, y
3
)
and (x
4
, y
4
). The four points of intersection are the vertices of a parallelogram,
and the center of the parallelogram has x-coordinate (1/4) (x
1
+ x
2
+ x
3
+ x
4
).
The center is the intersection of the line y = 0 and line DE. Because line DE
has equation y = x 300, the center of the parallelogram is (300, 0). Thus the
sum of all possible x-coordinates of A is 4 300 = 1200.
20. Answer (B): Removing the corners removes two segments of equal length
from each edge of the cube. Call that length x. Then each octagon has side
length

2x, and the cube has edge length 1 =
_
2 +

2
_
x, so
x =
1
2 +

2
=
2

2
2
.
Each removed corner is a tetrahedron whose altitude is x and whose base is an
isosceles right triangle with leg length x. Thus the total volume of the eight
tetrahedra is
8
1
3
x
1
2
x
2
=
1
6
_
2

2
_
3
=
10 7

2
3
.
Solutions 2007 58
th
AMC 12 A 7
21. Answer (A): The product of the zeros of f is c/a, and the sum of the zeros
is b/a. Because these two numbers are equal, c = b, and the sum of the
coecients is a + b + c = a, which is the coecient of x
2
. To see that none
of the other choices is correct, let f(x) = 2x
2
4x + 4. The zeros of f are
1

3, so the sum of the zeros, the product of the zeros, and the sum of the
coecients are all 2. However, the coecient of x is 4, the y-intercept is 4,
the x-intercepts are 1

3, and the mean of the x-intercepts is 1.

22. Answer (D): If n 2007, then S(n) S(1999) = 28. If n 28, then
S(n) S(28) = 10. Therefore if n satises the required condition it must also
satisfy
n 2007 28 10 = 1969.
In addition, n, S(n), and S(S(n)) all leave the same remainder when divided by
9. Because 2007 is a multiple of 9, it follows that n, S(n), and S(S(n)) must all
be multiples of 3. The required condition is satised by 4 multiples of 3 between
1969 and 2007, namely 1977, 1980, 1983, and 2001.
Note: There appear to be many cases to check, that is, all the multiples of 3
between 1969 and 2007. However, for 1987 n 1999, we have n + S(n)
1990 + 19 = 2009, so these numbers are eliminated. Thus we need only check
1971, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1986, 2001, and 2004.
23. Answer (A): Let A = (p, log
a
p) and B = (q, 2 log
a
q). Then AB = 6 =
|p q|. Because AB is horizontal, log
a
p = 2 log
a
q = log
a
q
2
, so p = q
2
. Thus
|q
2
q| = 6, and the only positive solution is q = 3. Note that C = (q, 3 log
a
q),
so BC = 6 = log
a
q, from which a
6
= q = 3 and a =
6

3.
24. Answer (D): Note that F(n) is the number of points at which the graphs
of y = sinx and y = sin nx intersect on [0, ]. For each n, sinnx 0 on each
interval [(2k 2)/n, (2k 1)/n] where k is a positive integer and 2k 1 n.
The number of such intervals is n/2 if n is even and (n + 1)/2 if n is odd. The
graphs intersect twice on each interval unless sinx = 1 = sin nx at some point
in the interval, in which case the graphs intersect once. This last equation is
satised if and only if n 1 (mod 4) and the interval contains /2. If n is
even, this count does not include the point of intersection at (, 0). Therefore
F(n) = 2(n/2) + 1 = n + 1 if n is even, F(n) = 2(n + 1)/2 = n + 1 if n 3
(mod 4), and F(n) = n if n 1 (mod 4). Hence
2007

n=2
F(n) =
_
2007

n=2
(n + 1)
_

_
2007 1
4
_
=
(2006)(3 + 2008)
2
501 = 2,016,532.
Solutions 2007 58
th
AMC 12 A 8
25. Answer (E): For each positive integer n, let S
n
= {k : 1 k n}, and let
c
n
be the number of spacy subsets of S
n
. Then c
1
= 2, c
2
= 3, and c
3
= 4. For
n 4, the spacy subsets of S
n
can be partitioned into two types: those that
contain n and those that do not. Those that do not contain n are precisely the
spacy subsets of S
n1
. Those that contain n do not contain either n1 or n2
and are therefore in one-to-one correspondence with the spacy subsets of S
n3
.
It follows that c
n
= c
n3
+ c
n1
. Thus the rst twelve terms in the sequence
(c
n
) are 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 13, 19, 28, 41, 60, 88, 129, and there are c
12
= 129 spacy
subsets of S
12
.
OR
Note that each spacy subset of S
12
contains at most 4 elements. For each such
subset a
1
, a
2
, . . . , a
k
, let b
1
= a
1
1, b
j
= a
j
a
j1
3 for 2 j k, and
b
k+1
= 12 a
k
. Then b
j
0 for 1 j k + 1, and
b
1
+ b
2
+ + b
k+1
= 12 1 3(k 1) = 14 3k.
The number of solutions for (b
1
, b
2
, . . . , b
k+1
) is
_
142k
k
_
for 0 k 4, so the
number of spacy subsets of S
12
is
_
14
0
_
+
_
12
1
_
+
_
10
2
_
+
_
8
3
_
+
_
6
4
_
= 1 + 12 + 45 + 56 + 15 = 129.
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