AMC 10 Step by Step

2015 AMC 10B Problem 3

P1-10~2 minPrint

Isaac has written down one integer two times and another integer three times. The sum of the five numbers is 100100 , and one of the numbers is 28.28. What is the other number?

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Key insight

If 28 is written twice, the other number is 44/3, not a whole number. So 28 is written three times and the other is 8.

Solution

Call the number written twice aa and the number written three times bb. The five numbers add to 100100, so
2a+3b=100.2a + 3b = 100.
We are told one of the numbers is 2828, but not which one. So try both.

  1. Suppose a=28a = 28. Then 2⋅28=562 \cdot 28 = 56, so 3b=100−56=443b = 100 - 56 = 44 and b=443b = \dfrac{44}{3}. That is not a whole number, but the problem says both numbers are integers. So this case is impossible.
  2. Suppose b=28b = 28. Then 3⋅28=843 \cdot 28 = 84, so 2a=100−84=162a = 100 - 84 = 16 and a=8a = 8. This is a whole number.
  3. Check: 8+8+28+28+28=1008 + 8 + 28 + 28 + 28 = 100. It works.

The other number is 88.

The answer is (A) 8\boxed{\textbf{(A)}\ 8}.

Why this works

The problem hides which role 2828 plays, so the safe move is to test both roles. The word "integer" is what rules one of them out, because it gives a fraction. When a word problem says the numbers are integers, expect that to throw out a case.

Concise solution

A shorter write-up, the way contest solutions are usually written. It may take a different route from the solution above.

Let aa be the integer written twice and bb the integer written three times, so 2a+3b=1002a + 3b = 100. The number 2828 is either aa or bb.

If a=28a = 28: then 3b=100−56=443b = 100 - 56 = 44, so b=443b = \tfrac{44}{3}, which is not an integer. Rejected.

If b=28b = 28: then 2a=100−84=162a = 100 - 84 = 16, so a=8a = 8. This is an integer, and 2⋅8+3⋅28=16+84=1002 \cdot 8 + 3 \cdot 28 = 16 + 84 = 100 checks.

The answer is (A) 8\boxed{\textbf{(A)}\ 8}.

Review in the AoPS books

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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.