AMC 10 Step by Step
2010 AMC 10BProblem 9P1-10~2 minPrint

Lucky Larry's teacher asked him to substitute numbers for aa , bb , cc , dd , and ee in the expression a(b(c(d+e)))a-(b-(c-(d+e))) and evaluate the result. Larry ignored the parentheses but added and subtracted correctly and obtained the correct result by coincidence. The numbers Larry substituted for aa , bb , cc , and dd were 11 , 22 , 33 , and 44 , respectively. What number did Larry substitute for ee ?

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Problem © Mathematical Association of America (MAA), American Mathematics Competitions. Reproduced for non-commercial educational use. Solution and commentary are original to this site.