A basketball player made 5 baskets during a game.

Each basket was worth either 2 or 3 points. How many

different numbers could represent the total points
scored by the player?

(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 6

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #1—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #1—
“The number of points could be any integer between
5 · 2 = 10 and 5 · 3 = 15, inclusive.”

Solution
Answer (E): The number of points could be any integer between 5 · 2 =
10 and 5 · 3 = 15, inclusive. The number of possibilities is 15 − 10 + 1 = 6.

Difficulty: Medium-easy
NCTM Standard: Measurement Standard: understand measurable attributes of objects and the
units, systems, and processes of measurement.
Mathworld.com Classification: Number Theory > Arithmetic > General Arithmetic
 A 4 × 4 block of calendar dates is shown. The order
of the numbers in the second row is to be reversed.
Then the order of the numbers in the fourth row is
to be reversed. Finally, the numbers on each diagonal
are to be added. What will be the positive difference
between the two diagonal sums?
1 2 3 4
8 9 10 11
15 16 17 18
22 23 24 25

(A) 2 (B) 4 (C) 6 (D) 8 (E) 10

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #2—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #2—
“Draw the new block after the modifications.”

Solution
Answer (B): The two sums are 1+10+17+22 = 50 and 4+9+16+25 =
54, so the positive difference between the sums is 54 − 50 = 4.

1 2 3 4
11 10 9 8
15 16 17 18
25 24 23 22

Query: If a different 4 × 4 block of dates had been chosen, the answer

would be unchanged. Why?

Difficulty: Medium-easy
NCTM Standard: Number and Operations Standard: compute fluently and make reasonable
estimates.
Mathworld.com Classification: Number Theory > Arithmetic > Addition and Subtraction
 Assume that qx is a positive real number. Which is
3 √
equivalent to x x ?

(A) x1/6 (B) x1/4 (C) x3/8 (D) x1/2 (E) x

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #3—

√ 1
“Use the fact that a x = x a .”

Solution
Answer (D): The properties of exponents imply that
q ³ ´ 13 ³ 3 ´ 13
3 √ 1 1
x x = x · x2 = x2 = x2 .

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Number and Operations Standard: judge the effects of such operations as
multiplication, division, and computing powers and roots on the magnitudes of quantities.
Mathworld.com Classification: Calculus and Analysis > Roots > Root
 A semipro baseball league has teams with 21 players
each. League rules state that a player must be paid at
least $15,000, and that the total of all players’ salaries
for each team cannot exceed $700,000. What is the
maximum possible salary, in dollars, for a single player?

(A) 270,000 (B) 385,000 (C) 400,000 (D) 430,000

(E) 700,000

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #4—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #3—
“A single player can receive the largest possible salary
only when the other 20 players on the team are each
receiving the minimum salary.”

Solution
Answer (C): A single player can receive the largest possible salary only
when the other 20 players on the team are each receiving the minimum
salary of $15,000. Thus the maximum salary for any player is $700,000 −
20 · $15,000 = $400,000.

Difficulty: Medium-easy
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: represent and analyze mathematical situations and
structures using algebraic symbols.
Mathworld.com Classification: None
 For real numbers a and b, define a$b = (a−b)2. What
is (x − y)2$(y − x)2 ?

(A) 0 (B) x2 + y 2 (C) 2x2 (D) 2y 2 (E) 4xy

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #5—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #7—
“Note that (y − x)2 = (x − y)2 .”

Solution
Answer (A): Note that (y − x)2 = (x − y)2 , so
¡ ¢2
(x−y)2 $(y −x)2 = (x−y)2 $(x−y)2 = (x − y)2 − (x − y)2 = 02 = 0.

Difficulty: Medium
NCTM Standard: Number and Operations Standard: understand meanings of operations and
how they relate to one another.
Mathworld.com Classification: Algebra > Algebraic Operations > General Algebraic Operations
> Binary Operation
 Points B and C lie on AD. The length of AB is 4
times the length of BD, and the length of AC is 9
times the length of CD. The length of BC is what
fraction of the length of AD ?

1 1 1 5 1
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
36 13 10 36 5

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #6—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #8—
“Find out BD and CD in terms of AD, then find the
difference.”

Solution
Answer (C): Because AB + BD = AD and AB = 4BD, it follows
1
that BD = 51 · AD. By similar reasoning, CD = 10 · AD. Thus

1 1 1
BC = BD − CD = · AD − · AD = · AD.
5 10 10

Difficulty: Medium
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: identify essential quantitative relationships in a situation
and determine the class or classes of functions that might model the relationships.
Mathworld.com Classification: Number Theory > Arithmetic > Fractions > Proportional
 An equilateral triangle of side length 10 is completely
filled in by non-overlapping equilateral triangles of side
length 1. How many small triangles are required?

(A) 10 (B) 25 (C) 100 (D) 250 (E) 1000

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #7—

“What is the relationship of area to side length for
similar triangles?”

Solution
Answer (C): The side length of the large triangle is 10 times the side
length of each small triangle, so the area of the large triangle is 102 = 100
times the area of each small triangle.

Difficulty: Medium-easy
NCTM Standard: Geometry Standard: analyze properties and determine attributes of two- and
three-dimensional objects.
Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Plane Geometry > Triangles > Special Triangles >
Equilateral Triangles > Equilateral Triangle
 A class collects $50 to buy flowers for a classmate who
is in the hospital. Roses cost $3 each, and carnations
cost $2 each. No other flowers are to be used.
How many different bouquets could be purchased for
exactly $50 ?

(A) 1 (B) 7 (C) 9 (D) 16 (E) 17

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #8—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #5—
“Since it is required to use exactly $50, the number of
roses purchased must be even.”

Solution
Answer (C): The total cost of the carnations must be an even number
of dollars. The total number of dollars spent is the even number 50,
so the number of roses purchased must also be even. In addition, the
number of roses purchased cannot exceed 50 3
. Therefore the number of
roses purchased must be one of the even integers between 0 and 16,
inclusive. This gives 9 possibilities for the number of roses purchased,
and consequently 9 possibilities for the number of bouquets.

Difficulty: Medium
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: represent and analyze mathematical situations and
structures using algebraic symbols.
Mathworld.com Classification: Number Theory > Integers > Even Number
 A quadratic equation ax2 − 2ax + b = 0 has two real
solutions. What is the average of the solutions?

b 2b √
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) (D) (E) 2a − b
a a

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #9—

“Find the roots by applying the Quadratic Formula.”

Solution
Answer (A): The quadratic formula implies that the two solutions are
√ √
2a + 4a2 − 4ab 2a − 4a2 − 4ab
x1 = and x2 = ,
2a 2a
so the average is
µ ¶
1 1 2a 2a
(x1 + x2 ) = + = 1.
2 2 2a 2a

OR
The sum of the solutions of a quadratic equation is the negative of the
coefficient of the linear term divided by the coefficient of the quadratic
−(−2a)
term. In this case the sum of the solution is = 2. Hence the
a
average of the solutions is 1 .

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: understand the meaning of equivalent forms of expressions,
equations, inequalities, and relations.
Mathworld.com Classification: Algebra > Algebraic Equations > Quadratic Formula
 Points A and B are on a circle of radius 5 and AB =
6. Point C is the midpoint of the minor arc AB.
What is the length of the line segment AC ?

√ 7 √ √
(A) 10 (B) (C) 14 (D) 15 (E) 4
2

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #10—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #9—
“Apply the Pythagorean Theorem twice to find the
answer.”

Solution
Answer (A): Let O be the center of the circle, and let D be the
intersection of OC and AB. Because OC bisects minor arc AB, OD
is a perpendicular bisector of chord AB. Hence AD
√ = 3, and applying the
Pythagorean Theorem to 4ADO yields OD = 52 − 33 = 4. Therefore
DC =√ 1, and applying
√ the Pythagorean Theorem to 4ADC yields
2
AC = 3 + 1 = 10.2

C
A B
3 D
5
O

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Geometry Standard: analyze properties and determine attributes of two- and
three-dimensional objects.
Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Plane Geometry > Triangles > Triangle Properties
> Pythagorean Theorem
 Suppose that (un) is a sequence of real numbers
satisfying un+2 = 2un+1 + un, and that u3 = 9 and
u6 = 128. What is u5?

(A) 40 (B) 53 (C) 68 (D) 88 (E) 104

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #11—

“Rewrite u6 in term of u4 and solve for u4 .”

Solution
Answer (B): Note that u5 = 2u4 +9 and 128 = u6 = 2u5 +u4 = 5u4 +18.
Thus u4 = 22, and it follows that u5 = 2 · 22 + 9 = 53.

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: understand relations and functions and select, convert
flexibly among, and use various representations for them.
Mathworld.com Classification: Number Theory > Sequences > Sequence
 Postman Pete has a pedometer to count his steps.
The pedometer records up to 99999 steps, then flips
over to 00000 on the next step. Pete plans to
determine his mileage for a year. On January 1 Pete
sets the pedometer to 00000. During the year, the
pedometer flips from 99999 to 00000 forty-four times.
On December 31 the pedometer reads 50000. Pete
takes 1800 steps per mile. Which of the following is
closest to the number of miles Pete walked during the
year?

(A) 2500 (B) 3000 (C) 3500 (D) 4000 (E) 4500

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #12—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #6—
“Find out how many steps in total Pete takes during
the year.”

Solution
Answer (A): During the year Pete takes

44 × 105 + 5 × 104 = 44.5 × 105

steps. At 1800 steps per mile, the number of miles Pete walks is

44.5 × 105 44.5

2
= × 103 ≈ 2.5 × 103 = 2500.
18 × 10 18

Difficulty: Medium-easy
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: represent and analyze mathematical situations and
structures using algebraic symbols.
Mathworld.com Classification: None
 For each positive integer n, the mean of the first n
terms of a sequence is n. What is the 2008th term of
the sequence?

(A) 2008 (B) 4015 (C) 4016 (D) 4,030,056 (E) 4,032,064

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #13—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #12—
“The sum of the first n terms is n × n = n2 .”

Solution
Answer (B): Because the mean of the first n terms is n, their sum is
n2 . Therefore the nth term is n2 − (n − 1)2 = 2n − 1, and the 2008th
term is 2 · 2008 − 1 = 4015.

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: understand patterns, relations, and functions.
Mathworld.com Classification: Number Theory > Sequences > Sequence
Algebra > Algebraic Operations > General Algebraic Operations > Arithmetic Mean
 Triangle OAB has O = (0, 0), B = (5, 0), and A
in the first quadrant. In addition, ∠ABO = 90◦
and ∠AOB = 30◦. Suppose that OA is rotated 90◦
counterclockwise about O. What are the coordinates
of the image of A ?
µ ¶ µ ¶ ³√ ´ µ ¶
10 √ 5√ 5√
(A) − 3, 5 (B) − 3, 5 (C) 3, 5 (D) 3, 5
3 3 3
µ ¶
10 √
(E) 3, 5
3

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #14—

“Note that 4OAB is a 30 – 60 – 90◦ triangle.”

Solution
Answer
√
(B): Because 4OAB is a 30 – 60 – 90◦ triangle, we have BA =
5 3
3
. Let A0 and B 0 be the images of A and B, respectively, under √
the
0 0 0 0 0 5 3
rotation. Then B = (0, 5), B A is horizontal, and B A = BA = 3 .
Hence A0 is in the second quadrant and
µ ¶
0 5√
A = − 3, 5 .
3

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Geometry Standard: understand and represent translations, reflections,
rotations, and dilations of objects in the plane by using sketches, coordinates, vectors, function
notation, and matrices.
Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Transformations > Rotations > Rotation
 How many right triangles have integer leg lengths
a and b and a hypotenuse of length b + 1, where
b < 100 ?

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 9 (E) 10

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #15—

“Find the relation between a and b by applying the
Pythagorean Theorem.”

Solution
Answer (A): By the Pythagorean Theorem we have a2 + b2 = (b + 1)2 ,
so
a2 = (b + 1)2 − b2 = 2b + 1.
Because b is an integer with b < 100, a2 is an odd perfect square between
1 and 201, and there are six of these, namely, 9, 25, 49, 81, 121, and 169.
Hence a must be 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, or 13, and there are 6 triangles that satisfy
the given conditions.

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Number and Operations Standard: understand numbers, ways of representing
numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems.
Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Plane Geometry > Triangles > Triangle Properties
> Pythagorean Theorem
 Two fair coins are to be tossed once. For each head
that results, one fair die is to be rolled. What is the
probability that the sum of the die rolls is odd? (Note
that if no die is rolled, the sum is 0.)

3 1 43 5 2
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
8 2 72 8 3

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #16—

“Whenever the die rolls, the probability to be odd is
always 12 .”

Solution
Answer (A): If one die is rolled, 3 of the 6 possible numbers are odd. If
two dice are rolled, 18 of the 36 possible outcomes have odd sums. In each
of these cases, the probability of an odd sum is 12 . If no die is rolled, the
sum is 0, which is not odd. The probability that no die is rolled is equal
to the probability that both coin tosses are tails, which is ( 21 )2 = 41 . Thus
the requested probability is
µ ¶
1 1 3
1− · = .
4 2 8

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Data Analysis and Probability Standard: understand and apply basic concepts
of probability.
Mathworld.com Classification: Probability and Statistics > Probability > Probability
 A poll shows that 70% of all voters approve of the
mayor’s work. On three separate occasions a pollster
selects a voter at random. What is the probability
that on exactly one of these three occasions the voter
approves of the mayor’s work?

(A) 0.063 (B) 0.189 (C) 0.233 (D) 0.333 (E) 0.441

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #17—

“The probability that the first occasion approves of the
mayor’s work is 70% · 30% · 30% = 0.063 .”

Solution
Answer (B): The responses on these three occasions, in order, must
be YNN, NYN, or NNY, where Y indicates approval and N indicates
disapproval. The probability of each of these is (0.7)(0.3)(0.3) = 0.063,
so the requested probability is 3(0.063) = 0.189.

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Data Analysis and Probability Standard: understand and apply basic concepts
of probability.
Mathworld.com Classification: Probability and Statistics > Probability > Probability
 Bricklayer Brenda would take 9 hours to build a chimney alone, and
bricklayer Brandon would take 10 hours to build it alone. When they
work together, they talk a lot, and their combined output is decreased by
10 bricks per hour. Working together, they build the chimney in 5 hours.
How many bricks are in the chimney?

(A) 500 (B) 900 (C) 950 (D) 1000 (E) 1900

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #18—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #10—
“Working together they can lay ( n9 + 10
n
− 10) bricks in an hour,
where n is the total number of bricks in the chimney.”

Solution
Answer (B): Let n be the number of bricks in the chimney. Then the
number of bricks per hour Brenda and Brandon can lay working alone is n9
n
and 10 , respectively. Working together they can lay ( n9 + 10
n
− 10) bricks
in an hour, or ³n ´
n
5 + − 10
9 10
bricks in 5 hours to complete the chimney. Thus
³n n ´
5 + − 10 = n,
9 10
and the number of bricks in the chimney is n = 900.
OR
Suppose that Brenda can lay x bricks in an hour and Brandon can lay
y bricks in an hour. Then the number of bricks in the chimney can be
expressed as 9x, 10y, or 5(x + y − 10). The equality of these expressions
leads to the system of equations

4x − 5y = −50

−5x + 5y = −50.
It follows that x = 100, so the number of bricks in the chimney is 9x = 900.

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: represent and analyze mathematical situations and
structures using algebraic symbols.
Mathworld.com Classification: None
 A cylindrical tank with radius 4 feet and height 9 feet
is lying on its side. The tank is filled with water to a
depth of 2 feet. What is the volume of the water, in
cubic feet?
√ √ √
(A) 24π − 36 2 (B) 24π − 24 3 (C) 36π − 36 3
√ √
(D) 36π − 24 2 (E) 48π − 36 3

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #19—

“Draw the cross section of the cylinder, find out the
area of circle that is filled with water.”

Solution
Answer (E): The portion of each end of the tank that is under water is
a circular sector with two right triangles removed as shown.

2 4

The hypotenuse of each triangle is 4, and the vertical leg is 2, so each is

a 30 – 60 – 90◦ triangle. Therefore the sector has a central angle of 120◦ ,
and the area of the sector is
120 16
· π(4)2 = π.
360 3
¡ √ ¢
The area of each triangle is 21 (2) 2 3 , so the portion of each end that
√
is underwater has area 16
3
π − 4 3. The length of the cylinder is 9, so the
volume of the water is
µ ¶
16 √ √
9 π − 4 3 = 48π − 36 3.
3

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Geometry Standard: visualize three-dimensional objects and spaces from
different perspectives and analyze their cross sections.
Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Solid Geometry > Cylinders > Cylinder
Geometry > Plane Geometry > Arcs > Circular Sector
 The faces of a cubical die are marked with the numbers
1, 2, 2, 3, 3, and 4. The faces of a second cubical
die are marked with the numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and
8. Both dice are thrown. What is the probability that
the sum of the two top numbers will be 5, 7, or 9 ?

5 7 11 3 8
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
18 18 18 4 9

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #20—

“Note that there are 36 possible outcomes, and find
the sum for each outcome.”

Solution
Answer (B): Of the 36 possible outcomes, the four pairs (1, 4), (2, 3),
(2, 3), and (4, 1) yield a sum of 5. The six pairs (1, 6), (2, 5), (2, 5), (3, 4),
(3, 4), and (4, 3) yield a sum of 7. The four pairs (1, 8), (3, 6), (3, 6), and
(4, 5) yield a sum of 9. Thus the probability of getting a sum of 5, 7, or 9
is (4 + 6 + 4)/36 = 7/18.
Note: The dice described here are known as Sicherman dice. The
probability of obtaining each sum between 2 and 12 is the same as that on
a pair of standard dice.

Difficulty: Medium
NCTM Standard: Data Analysis and Probability Standard: understand and apply basic concepts
of probability.
Mathworld.com Classification: Probability and Statistics > Probability > Probability
Recreational Mathematics > Games > Dice Games > Sicherman Dice
 Ten chairs are evenly spaced around a round table
and numbered clockwise from 1 through 10. Five
married couples are to sit in the chairs with men and
women alternating, and no one is to sit either next to
or directly across from his or her spouse. How many
seating arrangements are possible?

(A) 240 (B) 360 (C) 480 (D) 540 (E) 720

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #21—

“Let the women be seated first, the first woman may
sit in any of the 10 chairs, and there are 4 seating
choices for the remaining women. So the possible
seating arrangements for the women is 10 · 4! = 240.”

Solution
Answer (C): Let the women be seated first. The first woman may sit in
any of the 10 chairs. Because men and women must alternate, the number
of choices for the remaining women is 4, 3, 2, and 1. Thus the number of
possible seating arrangements for the women is 10 · 4! = 240. Without loss
of generality, suppose that a woman sits in chair 1. Then this woman’s
spouse must sit in chair 4 or chair 8. If he sits in chair 4 then the women
sitting in chairs 7, 3, 9, and 5 must have their spouses sitting in chairs 10,
6, 2, and 8, respectively. If he sits in chair 8 then the women sitting in
chairs 5, 9, 3, and 7 must have their spouses sitting in chairs 2, 6, 10, and
4, respectively. So for each possible seating arrangement for the women
there are two arrangements for the men. Hence, there are 2 · 240 = 480
possible seating arrangements.

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Problem Solving Standard: apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies
to solve problems.
Mathworld.com Classification: Discrete Mathematics > Combinatorics > Permutations >
Circular Permutation
 Three red beads, two white beads, and one blue bead
are placed in a line in random order. What is the
probability that no two neighboring beads are the same
color?

1 1 1 1 1
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
12 10 6 3 2

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #22—

“Note that there are 6!/(3!2!1!) = 60 distinguishable
orders of the beads on the line.”

Solution
Answer (C): There are 6!/(3!2!1!) = 60 distinguishable orders of the
beads on the line. To meet the required condition, the red beads must be
placed in one of four configurations: positions 1, 3, and 5, positions 2, 4,
and 6, positions 1, 3, and 6, or positions 1, 4, and 6. In the first two cases,
the blue bead can be placed in any of the three remaining positions. In the
last two cases, the blue bead can be placed in either of the two adjacent
remaining positions. In each case, the placement of the white beads is
then determined. Hence there are 2 · 3 + 2 · 2 = 10 orders that meet the
10
required condition, and the requested probability is 60 = 16 .

Difficulty: Medium-hard
NCTM Standard: Data Analysis and Probability Standard: understand and apply basic concepts
of probability.
Mathworld.com Classification: Probability and Statistics > Probability > Probability
 A rectangular floor measures a feet by b feet, where a
and b are positive integers with b > a. An artist paints
a rectangle on the floor with the sides of the rectangle
parallel to the sides of the floor. The unpainted part
of the floor forms a border of width 1 foot around the
painted rectangle and occupies half the area of the
entire floor. How many possibilities are there for the
ordered pair (a, b) ?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 5

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #23—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #16—
“Because the area of the border is half the area of the
floor, the same is true of the painted rectangle. The
painted rectangle measures a − 2 by b − 2 feet.”

Solution
Answer (B): Because the area of the border is half the area of the
floor, the same is true of the painted rectangle. The painted rectangle
measures a − 2 by b − 2 feet. Hence ab = 2(a − 2)(b − 2), from which
0 = ab − 4a − 4b + 8. Add 8 to each side of the equation to produce

8 = ab − 4a − 4b + 16 = (a − 4)(b − 4).

Because the only integer factorizations of 8 are

8 = 1 · 8 = 2 · 4 = (−4) · (−2) = (−8) · (−1),

and because b > a > 0, the only possible ordered pairs satisfying this
equation for (a − 4, b − 4) are (1, 8) and (2, 4). Hence (a, b) must be one
of the two ordered pairs (5, 12), or (6, 8).

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Geometry Standard: analyze properties and determine attributes of two- and
three-dimensional objects.
Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Plane Geometry > Rectangles > Rectangle
 Quadrilateral ABCD has AB = BC = CD,
∠ABC = 70◦, and ∠BCD = 170◦. What is the
degree measure of ∠BAD ?
(A) 75 (B) 80 (C) 85 (D) 90 (E) 95

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #24—

“Let M be on the same side of line BC as A, such that
4BM C is equilateral. Prove that M is on AD .”

Solution
Answer (C): Let M be on the same side of line BC as A, such
that 4BM C is equilateral. Then 4ABM and 4M CD are isosceles
with ∠ABM = 10◦ and ∠M CD = 110◦ . Hence ∠AM B = 85◦ and
∠CM D = 35◦ . Therefore

A M
◦
∠AM D = 360 − ∠AM B − ∠BM C − ∠CM D
= 360◦ − 85◦ − 60◦ − 35◦ = 180◦ . D
B C

It follows that M lies on AD and ∠BAD = ∠BAM = 85◦ .

OR A

Let 4ABO be equilateral as shown.

Then O
D
∠OBC = ∠ABC − ∠ABO = 70◦ − 60◦ = 10◦ . B C

Because ∠BCD = 170◦ and OB = BC = CD,

the quadrilateral BCDO is a parallelogram. Thus OD = BC = AO and
4AOD is isosceles. Let α = ∠ODA = ∠OAD. The sum of the interior
angles of ABCD is 360◦ , so we have

360 = (α + 60) + 70 + 170 + (α + 10) and α = 25.

Thus ∠DAB = 60 + α = 85◦ .

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Geometry Standard: analyze properties and determine attributes of two- and
three-dimensional objects.
Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Plane Geometry > Triangles > Special Triangles >
Other Triangles > Isosceles Triangle
 Michael walks at the rate of 5 feet per second on a long straight path.
Trash pails are located every 200 feet along the path. A garbage truck
travels at 10 feet per second in the same direction as Michael and stops
for 30 seconds at each pail. As Michael passes a pail, he notices the truck
ahead of him just leaving the next pail. How many times will Michael and
the truck meet?

(A) 4 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 7 (E) 8

2008 AMC 10 B, Problem #25—

2008 AMC 12 B, Problem #20—
“Plot the given condition in a Cartesian coordinates to gain insight
of the problem.”

Solution

Answer (B): Number the pails consecutively so that Michael is presently at pail 0 and the garbage
truck is at pail 1. Michael takes 200/5 = 40 seconds to walk between pails, so for n ≥ 0 he passes
pail n after 40n seconds. The truck takes 20 seconds to travel between pails and stops for 30 seconds
at each pail. Thus for n ≥ 1 it leaves pail n after 50(n − 1) seconds, and for n ≥ 2 it arrives at pail n
after 50(n − 1) − 30 seconds. Michael will meet the truck at pail n if and only if

50(n − 1) − 30 ≤ 40n ≤ 50(n − 1) or, equivalently, 5 ≤ n ≤ 8.

distance (ft)

truck
Michael

200
time (sec)
50

Hence Michael first meets the truck at pail 5 after 200 seconds, just as the truck leaves the pail. He
passes the truck at pail 6 after 240 seconds and at pail 7 after 280 seconds. Finally, Michael meets the
truck just as it arrives at pail 8 after 320 seconds. These conditions imply that the truck is ahead of
Michael between pails 5 and 6 and that Michael is ahead of the truck between pails 7 and 8. However,
the truck must pass Michael at some point between pails 6 and 7, so they meet a total of five times.

Difficulty: Hard
NCTM Standard: Algebra Standard: understand patterns, relations, and functions.

Mathworld.com Classification: Geometry > Coordinate Geometry > Cartesian Coordinates