UNCC 2001 Algebra II

March 5, 2001

1. Compute the sum of the roots of x2 5x + 6 = 0.

(A) 3 (B) 7/2 (C) 4 (D) 9/2 (E) 5

(E) The sum of the roots of the quadratic ax2 + bx + c = 0 is b/a which, for
this example, is 5. Alternatively, factor the quadratic into (x 3)(x 2) = 0
and find the roots.

2. Compute the sum of all the roots of (2x + 3)(x 4) + (2x + 3)(x 6) = 0.

(A) 7/2 (B) 4 (C) 7 (D) 13 (E) none of A, B, C or D

(A) Factor to get (2x + 3)(2x 10) = 0, so the two roots are 3/2 and 5.

3. The radius of the circle given by

x2 6x + y 2 + 4y = 36

is

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 36

(C) Complete the squares by adding 9 and 4 to both sides to get

x2 6x + 9 + y 2 + 4y + 4 = 36 + 9 + 4 = 49 = 72 .

So the radius is 7.

4. Suppose that x + 1 = 1 x. Which of the following statements is correct?

(A) There are no solutions.

(B) There are two solutions. The larger solution is greater than 2.
(C) There are two solutions. The larger solution is less than or equal to 2.
(D) There is only one solution. This solution is greater than 2.
(E) There is only one solution. This solution is less than 2.

(E) Square both sides of the equation and reduce to get x2 3x = 0. This
has two solutions, x = 3 and x = 0. But x = 3 is extraneous for the given
equation. Thus there is only one solution, and it is less than 2.

1
5. Solve the following equation for x:

x+1+ x1
= 3.
x+1 x1

(A) 0 (B) 5/3 (C) 1 (D) 3/5 (E) 3

(B) Clearing fractions gives

x + 1 + x 1 = 3 x + 1 3 x 1,

from which it follows that 4 x 1 = 2 x + 1. Divide by two, square both
sides, and simplify to get 4x 4 = x + 1, from which it follows that 3x = 5,
and x = 5/3.

6. If 210x1 = 1, what is log x?

(A) 1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) 3

(A) Note that 210x1 = 1 implies 10x = 1, x = 0.1 So log x = 1.

2
 q
7. The equation (x + 7) + x = 13 has

(A) no roots (B) one root (C) two roots (D) three roots (E) none
of A, B, C, or D
(B) Subtract x from both sides and then square both sides to get

x + 7 = 169 26x + x2

which is equivalent to x2 27x + 162 = 0. This can be factored to give the

roots x = 18 and x = 9, but the former is extraneous, so there is just one root.

8. How many real solutions of the system x y = 3, x2 y = 1 are there?

(A) none (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) infinitely many

(A) Solve the first equation for y, and replace that value in the second to get

x2 (x 3) = 1.

Then solve this by the quadratic formula to get

1 1 16
x= .
2
Since the discriminant is negative, it follows that there are no real solutions.

9. Find the base a for which loga 2 = 3 8

3 1
(A) a = 2 (B) a = 2 (C) a = 4 (D) a = 2 (E) a =
3
(A) We are simply solving loga 2 = 2 for a positive number a. Equivalently,
2
a = 2 which is true if and only if a = 2.

10. If the sides of a square are each increased by 12 inches, the area is increased
by 200 square inches. The length of a side of the original square is

(A) 2 inches (B) 2 13 inches (C) 10 12 inches (D) 3 23 inches (E) 2 14

inches
(B) From what is given , we can write

(x + 12)2 = x2 + 200

where x is the original side length. This is equivalent to x2 + 24x + 144 =

x2 + 200 from which it follows that x = 56
24
= 2 13 .

3
11. Determine m such that x3 5x2 + 7x + (m 5) is divisible by (x 4)

(A) 7 (B) 0 (C) 5 (D) 7 (E) 17

(A) The polynomial f (x) = x3 5x2 + 7x + (m 5) is divisible by (x 4)

precisely when f (4) = 0 by the Factor Theorem. Thus

f (4) = 43 5 42 + 7 4 + m 5 = 64 80 + 28 5 + m = 7 + m = 0,

which happens precisely when m = 7.

12. If x2 +2x+n > 10 for all real numbers x, then which of the following conditions
must be true?

(A) n > 11 (B) n < 11 (C) n = 10 (D) n = (E) n > 11

(A) Complete the square to find that f (x) = x2 +2x+n = (x+1)2 1+n > 10
if and only if n > 11. Alternatively, the minimum value of x2 + 2x + n occurs
at the vertex of the parabola, whose x-coordinate is given by b/2a = 2/2 =
1. Thus f (1) = (1)2 + 2(1) + n > 10 if and only if n > 11.

13. The product of four different integers, exactly three of which are odd, is 7!.
The sum of the four integers is 63. What is the largest of the four integers?

(A) 35 (B) 48 (C) 64 (D) 72 (E) 105

(B) Since only one of the numbers is even, the even one must have all the
even factors of 7!, so the even number is either 16 or 48. Matching 16 with
the other factors does not lead to collections of factors with sum 63. But the
set {48, 3, 5, 7} works. The sum is 63 and the product is 7!.

14. What is the largest integer k such that

3 2 1 2 3 k 1

2 1 2 3 4 k+1 8

(A) 20 (B) 21 (C) 23 (D) 24 (E) 26

3
(C) The inequality is equivalent to k+1 18 which is true if and only if
k + 1 24. Thus k = 23 is the largest integer satisfying the inequality.

4
15. What is the sum of all integers x that satisfy

5 x/ 10?

(A) 312 (B) 324 (C) 346 (D) 376 (E) 412

(D) The sum is 15 14 13 0 + 1 + 2 + 31, which is just the sum

of 16 consecutive integers 16 + 17 + + 31 = 16( 16+31
2
) = 376.

16. It takes 6 hours for vote counter A to count a bucket of votes. If vote counter
B is assigned to help A with the count, it takes 4 hours. How long does it
take vote counter B to count a bucket of votes alone?

(A) 2 hours (B) 10 hours (C) 12 hours (D) 24 hours (E) 8 hours

(C) Together the vote counters can count 1/4 buckets per hour. Since vote
counter A counts votes at 1/6 buckets per hour, counter B counts votes at the
rate of 1/4 1/6 = 1/12 buckets per hour. Hence it will take vote counter B
12 hours to count a bucket of votes.

17. A circle C contains the points (0, 6), (0, 10), and (8, 0). What is the second
x-intercept?

(A) 7.00 (B) 7.25 (C) 7.50 (D) 7.75 (E) 9.00

(D) The center of C must lie on the line y = 8, because the center is the
same distance from (0, 6) as it is from (0, 10). It must also lie on the line that
perpendicularly bisects the segment from (0, 6) to (8, 0), an equation for which
is y 3 = 34 (x 4). Solving these two equations simultaneously gives x = 7.75.

18. What is the x-intercept of the line L satisfying

L is perpendicular to the line defined by 3x 2y = 6, and

the y-intercept of L is 2.

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 2.4 (D) 3 (E) 3.2

(D) The slope of L is 1/(3/2) = 2/3 so an equation for L is y = 2x/3+2.

Set y = 0 to find the xintercept: 2x/3 = 2, and x = 3.

5
19. The number of zeroes at the end of 45! is

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 12

(C) Among the integers from 1 to 45 there are 9 that are divisible by 5 and
one that is divisible by 25 so the prime decomposition of 45! contains 510 .
Since there are plenty of 2s in the prime factorization, there are 10 zeros at
the end of the number.

20. How many positive divisors does 6! have?

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 10 (D) 20 (E) 30

(E) 6! = 2 3 4 5 6 = 24 32 5, so it has (4 + 1)(2 + 1)(1 + 1) = 30 positive

integer divisors.

21. If x is 150% of y, what percent of 3x is 4y? Round your answer to the nearest
whole number.

(A) 75 (B) 79 (C) 89 (D) 92 (E) 112

(C) The numbers x and y satisfy 3/2 = x/y = 1.5; so 4x/3y = 4/3 y/x =
4/3 2/3 = 8/9 0.8888 0.89 = 89%.

6
22. How many positive integers can be represented as a product of two distinct
members of the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13

(E) Count them one at a time. They are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24,
and 30.

23. What is the largest possible product of three distinct members of the set
{2/3, 2/3, 4/5, 1, 1, 5/4}?

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

(D) The product is negative if one or three of the numbers are negative, so
we must choose either three positive numbers or one positive and two negative
numbers. The largest product of the first type is 4/5 1 5/4 = 1 and the
largest of the second type is 2/3 1 5/4 < 1, so 1 is the largest possible
product.
1
24. Another way to write (a1 + b1 ) is
(a + b) 1 1 ab
(A) (B) + (C) (D) a + b (E) ab
ab a b (a + b)

1
(C) Note that (a1 + b1 ) = 1
a1 +b1
= 1
b+a = ab
a+b
.
ab

25. Determine k so that the roots of x2 + 2kx 1 = 2k will be equal.

(A) 1 (B) 1 (C) i (D) i (E) 2

(A) The roots are equal if and only if the discriminant D is 0. Thus D =
(2k)2 + 4(2k + 1) = 0 from which it follows that k 2 + 2k + 1 = 0, which is
equivalent to (k + 1)2 = 0. Thus k = 1.
10
26. The coefficient of the term involving x8 in the expansion of (x2 + 3y) is:
     
(A) 37 (70) (B) (3) (70) (C) 37 (5) (D) 36 (5) (E) none of
A, B, C or D

10
(A) Use the binomial theorem to get (x2 + 3y) = (x2 )10 + 10(x2 )9 (3y) +
910
2
(x2 )8 (3y)2 + . . . + 10987
4321
(x2 )4 (3y)6 + . . ., so the coefficient of the x8 term is
(37 ) (70)

7
27. Three packages of coffee cost a total of $10.20. The first costs $0.30 more than
the second, and the second costs $0.66 less than the third. How much did the
second package cost?

(A) $3.52 (B) $2.86 (C) $3.82 (D) $3.08 (E) $3.38

(D) We have three equations with three unknowns, C1 , C2 , and C3 :

C1 + C2 + C3 = 10.20
C1 = C2 + 0.30
C2 = C3 0.66

Replacing C1 and C3 with their equals yields

(C2 + .30) + C2 + (C2 + .66) = 10.20

from which it follows that C2 = 3.08.

28. How many pounds of H2 O must be evaporated from 50 pounds of a 3% solution

so that the remaining solution will be 5% salt?
1 1
(A) 1.6 (B) 5 (C) 9.6 (D) 13 (E) 20
3 3

(E) Salt in solution = 0.03 50 = 1.5 lbs. Let x denote the number of pounds
of H2 O which must be evaporated. Then 50 x is the number of pounds of
solution remaining, and the amount of salt will be unchanged. Since 5% of
the solution will be salt, .05(50 x) = 1.5 implies x = 20.

8
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra with Solutions

March 4, 2002

1. Suppose A and B are sets with 5 and 7 elements respectively and A B has
2 elements. How many elements does A B have?

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 12

(C) The inclusion-exclusion principle states that for any pair of sets, A and B,
|A B| = |A| + |B| |A B|, which in this case yields |A B| = 5 + 7 2 = 10.

2. Find x such that

8+x x
= .
8x x+x

(A) 8/3 (B) 4/3 (C) 2/3 (D) 0 (E) 4

(A) The equation is equivalent to 2(8 + x) = 8 x, from which it follows that

x = 8/3.

3. What is the length of the interval of solutions to the inequality 1 34x 9?

(A) 1.75 (B) 2.00 (C) 2.25 (D) 2.50 (E) 3.25

(B) Subtract 3 from all parts to get 2 4x 6, then divide all by 4 to

get 1/2 x 3/2, so the length of the interval is 1/2 (3/2) = 2.

4. Find the values of x for which x2 + 3x 4 > 0.

(A) x < 1 and x > 4 (B) x > 1 or x < 4 (C) x < 1 or x > 4
(D) x > 1 and x < 4 (E) none of A, B, C, or D

(B) Factor to find the zeros of x2 + 3x 4 = (x + 4)(x 1). Inspection of the

intervals determined by x = 4 and x = 1 yields the two intervals x > 1 or
x < 4.

5. The equation ax2 2x 2 + 1 = 0 has a zero discriminant, where a is a real
number. Find the root(s) of the equation.

2 2
(A) 2 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) (E)
2 2

(E) Note that b2 4ac = 8 4a = 0, so a = 2. Thus x = 2 2(2)20
= 2/2.

1
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

6. It is known that the equation ax2 + 5x = 3 has a solution x = 1. Find the

other solution.

(A) 0.5 (B) 1.5 (C) 2 (D) 2.5 (E) 3

(B) Replace x by 1 we have a + 5 = 3, so a = 2. Solving the new equation

2x2 + 5x = 3, we obtain the other solution x = 1.5

7. Let x1 , x2 be the two solutions to the equation 2x2 x 2 = 0. Find the value
of x11 + x12 .

(A) 3 (B) 2 (C) 1 (D) 1/2 (E) 1/2

1
1 1 x1 +x2
(D) Note that x1
+ x2
= x1 x2
= 2
1
= 12 .

8. It is known that x = 1 is a solution to the equation 2x3 3x2 4x + 5 = 0.

What are the two other solutions?

1 41 1 41 1 39 1 41
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 1
4 4 4 2
(B) Note that (x 1) is a factor of the polynomial 2x3 3x2 4x + 5. After
long division we have (x 1)(2x2 x 5) = 0. Now the other two solutions
are obtained from the quadratic formula.

9. It takes 852 digits to number the pages of a book consecutively. How many
pages are there in the book?

(A) 184 (B) 235 (C) 320 (D) 368 (E) 425

(C) Pages 1 through 9 use 9 digits and 10 through 99 use 90 2 = 180

digits, for a total of 189 digits for pages 1 through 99. That leaves 663 digits
remaining to make the required total of 852 digits. These are obtained by
going 221 pages beyond page 99, through page 320.
1 1 7
10. Solve the equation 8 6 + x 3 = 3 2
.

(A) 24 (B) 27 (C) 32 (D) 64 (E) none of A, B, C or D

1 1 1
(B) Note that 8 6 = (23 ) 6 = 2 2 . Rationalizing the denominator of the right
7 7(3+ 2)

21+7 2

side gives 3 2 = (3 2)(3+ 2) = 7 = 3 + 2. Thus the equation reduces

1
to x 3 = 3 or x = 27. Alternatively, you can use a calculator to solve this
problem.

2
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

11. The fraction 2x5x11

2 +x6 was obtained by adding the two fractions
A
x+2
and B
2x3
.
Find the value of A + B.

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

A(2x3) B(x+2)
(D) Note that 2x5x11 A B
2 +x6 = x+2 + 2x3 = (x+2)(2x3) + (x+2)(2x3) . Also, note

that 5x 11 = (2A + B)x (3A 2B), so 2A + B = 5 and 3A 2B = 11.

Solving this system of equations we obtain A = 3 and B = 1, so A + B = 2.
Alternatively, since the degree of the numerator is less than the degree of the
denominator, the value for A can be obtained by evaluating the expression
5x11
2x3
at x = 2 (the zero of x + 2) and the value for B can be obtained by
evaluating the expression 5x11
x+2
at x = 23 (the zero of 2x 3). So A = 21
7
= 3,
(7/2)
B = (7/2) = 1, and A + B = 2.

12. The slope of the line through the points that satisfy y = 8 x2 and y = x2 is

(A) 2 (B) 4 (C) 0 (D) 2 (E) 4

(C) The slope is 0 because the two parabolas are intersecting even functions.
In fact they are reflections (through the line y = 4) of each other. Alternatively,
8 x2 = x2 x = 2, y = 4, and the slope of the line y = 4 is 0.

13. The product of the zeros of f (x) = (2x 24)(6x 18) (x 12) is

(A) 72 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 37 (E) 432

(D) The roots are 12 and 37/12 because f (x) = 12(x12)(x3)(x12) =

(x 12)(12x 37) so the product is 12 (37/12) = 37.

3
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

14. Factor x4 + 4y 4 over the real numbers. Hint: Add and subtract 4x2 y 2 .

(A) (x2 2xy + 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )

(B) (x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )2
(C) (x2 + 2xy 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )
(D) (x2 2xy 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )
(E) none of A, B, C, or D

(A) Add and subtract 4x2 y 2 to get x4 + 4y 4 = x4 + 4x2 y 2 + 4y 4 4x2 y 2 =

(x2 + 2y 2 )2 (2xy)2 = (x2 2xy + 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 ).

15. What is the remainder when x2 + 3x 5 is divided by x 1?

(A) 5 (B) 2 (C) 1 (D) 0 (E) 1

(C) By long division or the Remainder Theorem, the remainder is 1.

16. Jeremy starts jogging at a constant rate of five miles per hour. Half an hour
later, David starts running along the same route at seven miles per hour. For
how many minutes must David run to catch Jeremy?

(A) 75 minutes (B) 80 minutes (C) 90 minutes

(D) 95 minutes (E) 105 minutes

(A) David runs at 7 mph for t hours while Jeremy runs for t + 1/2 hours at 5
mph. They run the same distance, so 5 (t + 1/2) = 7t, which yields t = 5/4
hours, or 75 minutes.

4
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

17. For the final exam in Professor Ahlins class, the average(= arithmetic mean)
score of the group of failing students was 62 and the average score among the
passing students was 92. The overall average for the 20 students in the class
was 80. How many students passed the final?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13

(D) Translating the information into equations, where x represents the number
of students who passed the final,

62(20 x) + 92(x) = 20 80 = 1600.

Solve this for x to get x = 12. Alternatively, since the difference between 92
and 62 is 30 and the difference between 92 and 80 (the average) is 12 while that
between 80 and 62 is 18, 80 = 1830
92 + 12
30
62. Moreover, the same combination
must give the total number of students in the class. So 18 30
20 = 12 is the
12
number of students who passed and 30 20 = 8 is the number who failed.

18. Fifteen numbers are picked from the set {1, 2, 3, . . . 20, 21}. Find the proba-
bility that at least three of those numbers are consecutive.

(A) 0.1 (B) 0.2 (C) 0.4 (D) 0.5 (E) 1.0
(E) Imagine putting the 15 numbers into seven boxes labeled 123, 456, 789,
etc. Each number is put into the box that it helps to label. After all 15
numbers have been distributed among the boxes, some box must have three
balls, by the Pigeon-Hole Principle. Thus the probability that some box has
three consecutive numbers is 1.

19. Cara has 162 coins in her collection of nickels, dimes, and quarters, which has
a total value of $22.00. If Cara has twelve fewer nickels than quarters, how
many dimes does she have?

(A) 50 (B) 60 (C) 70 (D) 74 (E) 78

(C) Solve simultaneously the three equations q 12 = n, n + d + q = 162 and
5n + 10d + 25q = 2200 to get d = 70.

20. Let N denote the smallest four-digit number with all different digits that is
divisible by each of its digits. What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13

(D) Trying the smallest digits first, we are led to numbers of the form 12xy,
which in turn leads to 1236.

5
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

21. A chain with two links is 13 cm long. A chain made from three links, as shown,
of the same type is 18 cm long. How long is a chain made from 25 such links?

(A) 120 (B) 128 (C) 136 (D) 144 (E) 150
. .....................................
.....
. .. ....
... ............. ........ . ........ .............................
........... ....... .... .... ............... ..
... .
. ..
.. ............................... ..... ..
. ............................ ..... ............................... ..........
. ......... ... ...... ... ...... ...... ....
.... ...... .. ..... ..... ..... .... ...
... ..... ... ......... .. ..... ... ..
... ... ... ... .... ... ... ....
. ... ...
... ... ... .. .. ... .. .. ... ...
.
... ... ... .. .. ... .. .. .. ..
... ... ... .. .. ... .. .. ... ...
... .... ... ... ... ..... ... . .
... ...... ..
. .. ........ . . .. ........ .. .... ....
.... ....... . .. . .. .
...... ............................. .............. .................................... .............. .................................... ........
........ ... .
........... . .. ............ ...
..................................... .................................. ..................................
(B) Look at the diagram, and note the length of a chain with n links is
2R + 2(n 1)r where R is the outer radius and r is the inner radius. Thus,
2R + 2r = 13 and 2R + 4r = 18, which yields 2r = 5/2 and 2R = 8. Thus the
length of a 25 link chain is 2R + 48r = 8 + 120 = 128. Alternatively, note that
each link adds 5 cm. to the length of the chain, for a total of 8 + 5 24 = 128.

22. What is the sum of the three positive integers a, b, and c that satisfy
1
= 3/16?
a + b+1 1
c

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 9 (E) 11

(C) First note that a = 5 because 16/3 = 5 13 = a + 1

b+ 1c
and that 1
b+ 1c
= 1/3.
1
So b + c
= 3 and it follows that b = 2 and c = 1. Thus a + b + c = 8.

23. A circle C contains the points (0, 6), (0, 10), and (8, 0). What is the x-coordinate
of the center?

(A) 6.75 (B) 7.25 (C) 7.50 (D) 7.75 (E) 8.25

(D) The center (h, k) of C must lie on the line y = 8 , because the center
is the same distance from (0, 6) as it is from (0, 10). Thus the circle satisfies
(x h)2 + (y 8)2 = r2 , for some number h. It must also lie on the line that
perpendicularly bisects the segment from (0, 6) to (8, 0), an equation for which
is y 3 = 34 (x 4) . Since y = 8, it follows that h = 7.75. Alternatively, the
distance from (h, 8) to (0, 6) must be the same as the distance from (h, 8) to
(8, 0), which we can solve for h.

6
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

24. The number 839 can be written as 19q + r where q and r are positive integers.
What is the largest possible value of q r?

(A) 37 (B) 39 (C) 41 (D) 45 (E) 47

(C) Divide 839 by 19 to get 839 = 44 19 + 3. One pair of positive value is

q = 44 and r = 3. If we try to make q any bigger, we are forced to make r
negative.

25. Vic can beat Harold by one tenth of a mile in a two mile race. Harold can
beat Charlie by one fifth of a mile in a two mile race. If Vic races Charlie,
how far ahead will Vic finish?

(A) 0.15 miles (B) 0.22 miles (C) 0.25 miles

(D) 0.29 miles (E) 0.33 miles

(D) Vic is 20/19 times as fast as Harold. Harold is 20/18 times as fast as
Charlie, so Vic is (20/19)(20/18) 1.1696 times as fast as Charlie. When Vic
runs 2 miles, Charlie will have run 2/1.1696 1.71 miles. Vic will finish 0.29
miles ahead of Charlie.

26. The four angles of a quadrilateral form an arithmetic sequence. The largest
is 15 degrees less than twice the smallest. What is the degree measure of the
largest angle?

(A) 95 (B) 100 (C) 105 (D) 115 (E) 125

(D) Let the angles be a, a + d, a + 2d, and a + 3d. Then 4a + 6d = 360 and
a + 3d + 15 = 2a. Thus a = 3d + 15, so we can replace a with 3d + 15 in the
first equation. Solve this to get 3d = 50 and a = 50 + 15 = 65, so the largest
angle is 65 + 50 = 115 .

27. What is the probability of obtaining an ace on both the first and second draws
from an ordinary deck of 52 playing cards when the first card is not replaced
before the second is drawn? There are four aces in such a deck.

(A) 1/221 (B) 4/221 (C) 1/13 (D) 1/17 (E) 30/221

(A) The probability of obtaining an ace on the first draw is 4/52 = 1/13. If
the first card drawn is an ace there are 3 aces remaining in the deck, which
now consists of 51 cards. Thus, the probability of getting an ace on the second
draw is 3/51 = 1/17. The required probability is the product of the two, which
is 1/221.

7
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

28. A running track has the shape shown below. The ends are semicircular with
diameter 100 yards. Suppose that the lanes are each 1 yard wide and num-
bered from the inside to the outside. The competitor in the inside lane runs
700 yards counter clockwise. The other runners start ahead of the inside lane
runner, and also run 700 yards, with all runners finishing at the same place.
Approximately how much of a head start should a runner in the fifth lane
receive over a runner in the first lane?

............. ........................
. ............................ k .................
...........
.. ..
...... Finish ........
...... .....
......
.. .. ... ...
.... .... 100 .. ..
...... ......
.
... .. ..
....... .......
......... . .
............. ..........
......................
......... ..................................
200

(A) 15 yards (B) 20 yards (C) 25 yards (D) 30 yards (E) 35 yards

(C) In order to run 700 yards, the runners must traverse both semicircular
ends. The runner in the first lane has an inner radius of 50 yards, while the
runner in the fifth lane has an inner radius of 54 yards. The difference in
distance is 2(54 50) = 8 25 yards.

8
UNC Charlotte 2002 Algebra

29. Dick and Nick share their food with Albert. Dick has 5 loaves of bread, and
Nick has 3 loaves. They share the bread equally. Albert gives Dick and Nick
8 dollars which they agree to share fairly. How should they divide the $8
between them?

(A) Dick should get $3 of Alberts money. (B) Dick should get $4 of Alberts
money.
(C) Dick should get $5 of Alberts money. (D) Dick should get $6 of Alberts
money.
(E) Dick should get $7 of Alberts money.

(E) Albert pays $8 for his 8/3 loaves, so loaves must be worth $3 each. Nick
eats all but 1/3 of a loaf of his bread while Dick gives up 7/3 loaves. Thus
Dick should get $7 of Alberts money.

30. For what positive value of x is there a right triangle with sides x + 1, 4x, and
4x + 1?

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 10 (E) 12

(B) The number x must satisfy (x + 1)2 + (4x)2 = (4x + 1)2 since 4x + 1 is
certainly the largest of the three numbers. Thus x2 + 2x + 1 + 16x2 16x2
8x 1 = x2 6x = 0 from which it follows that x = 6.

9
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

1. Let a, b be the two solutions to the equation x2 3x + 1 = 0. Find a3 + b3 .

(A) 12 (B) 14 (C) 16 (D) 18 (E) 24

(D) The sum of the roots of ax2 + bx + c = 0 is b/a and the product is c/a.
Therefore a + b = 3 and ab = 1, and it follows that

a3 + b3 = (a + b)(a2 ab + b2 ) = (a + b)[(a + b)2 3ab] = 18.

2. A man has a pocket full of change, but cannot make change for a dollar. What
is the greatest value of coins he could have?

(A) $.99 (B) $1.09 (C) $1.19 (D) $1.29 (E) $1.39

(C) The man could have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, for a
total of $1.19.

3. For what value(s) of b does the equation 2x2 + bx + 2 = 0 have no real roots?

(A) b > 2 (B) 4 < b < 4 (C) b > 2 or b < 2

(D) b < 4 (E) b = 4

(B) Since the equation is quadratic, the solutions are real if and only if b2
4 a c 0, or b2 16 0. The solution is b 4 or b 4. Hence, the
equation will have no real roots when 4 < b < 4.

4. A boy is 4 feet 8 inches tall. If he could walk around the earth one time on the
equator, the top of his head would travel farther than his feet. Assuming that
the equator is a perfect circle, how much farther would the top of his head
travel than his feet (in inches)?

(A) 56 (B) 56 (C) 96 (D) 112 (E) 3136

(D) Since we assume the equator to be a circle, then the distance the boys
feet and head travel are given by C = 2r and C = 2(r + 56) respectively,
where r is the radius of the earth. We then expand the second quantity to get
C = 2(r + 56) = 2r + 112. Hence, the boys feet travel 112 inches more
than his head.

1
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

5. A line L has a slope of 2 and passes through the point (r, 3). A second
line, K is perpendicular to L at (a, b) and passes through the point (6, r). The
value of a is

(A) r (B) 2r/5 (C) 1 (D) 2r 3 (E) 5r/2

(B) An equation for L is y + 3 = (x r), so y = 2x + (2r 3). An equation

for K is yr = 1/2(x6), so y = 1/2x+(r3). Thus 2x+2r3 = 1/2x+r3,
so x = 2r/5.

6. Which of the following describes the range of the function f (x) = x2 2x if its
domain is the three element set {0, 2, 4}?

(A) {0} (B) {0, 2} (C) {0, 8}

(D) {2, 8} (E) all real numbers equal to or greater than 1

(C) Note that f (0) = 0, f (2) = 0 and f (4) = 8, so the range is {0, 8}.

7. The slope of a line perpendicular to the line passing through the points (1, 3)
and (2, 1) is

(A) 3/2 (B) 2/3 (C) 0 (D) 2/3 (E) 3/2

(A) The slope of the given line is (1 3)/(2 1) = 2/3. The slope of the
line perpendicular to the given line is the negative reciprocal, 3/2.

8. The numerator of a certain fraction is 5 less than the denominator. If 3

is subtracted from the numerator and 2 is added to the denominator, the
resulting fraction is equal to one half. What is the original fraction?

(A) 9/18 (B) 13/18 (C) 9/13 (D) 17/18 (E) 4/18

(B) Letting D be the denominator, the numerator of the new fraction is

D 5 3 and the denominator of the new fraction is D + 2. Solving (D 5
3)/(D + 2) = 1/2 gives 13 for the numerator and D = 18 for the denominator.

9. Niki runs at a rate of 800 ft. per minute. Jeff runs at the rate of 900 ft. per
minute. If Niki starts 500 feet ahead of Jeff, how many minutes does it take
Jeff to catch up with her.

(A) 1.5 (B) 2 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 7

(D) Jeff gains 100 feet per minute, so it takes him 5 minutes to catch up.

2
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

10. A recent poll showed that nearly 30% of European school children think that
1 1 2
+ = .
2 3 5
1
This is wrong, of course. Is it possible that a
+ 1b = 2
a+b
for some real numbers
a and b?

(A) Yes, and a + b = 1 (B) Yes, and a + b = 2 (C) Yes, and a2 + b2 = 1

(D) Yes, and a2 + b2 = 0 (E) No, it is not possible

(E) The given equation is equivalent to a+b ab

2
= a+b , which is true only if
a2 + 2ab + b2 = 2ab, but this can happen only when a2 + b2 = 0, which implies
that a = b = 0, in which case the equation in nonsense.

11. What is the number of real solutions of the equation

x6 8
= 12?
x2 2

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

(A) Introducing y = x2 we may rewrite or equation as

y3 8
= 12. (1)
y2

Using y 3 8 = y 3 23 = (y 2)(y 2 + 2y + 4), we may simplify our equation

to y 2 + 2y + 4 = 12, or y 2 + 2y 8 = 0. Factoring or the quadratic formula
yields y = 2 or y = 4. Here y = 4 must be discarded, since the square
of x can not be negative. On the other hand y = 2 is not a solution of the
intermediary equation (1), since substituting y = 2 yields 00 on the left hand
side. Therefore the equation has no real solutions.

12. What is the equation of the tangent line of the circle x2 + y 2 = 2 at the point
(1, 1)?

(A) x = 1 (B) y = 1 (C) x + y = 2 (D) x y = 0 (E) x + y = 0

(C) The center of our circle is (0, 0) and the line connecting the circle with
(1, 1) has slope 1. Thus the tangent line must have slope 1 and pass through
(1, 1). The point-slope form of the equation of the tangent line is y 1 =
(x 1), which may be rearranged into x + y = 2.

3
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

13. Conard High School has 50 students who play on the baseball, football, and
tennis teams. Some students play more than one sport. If 15 play tennis, 25
play baseball, 30 play football, 8 play tennis and baseball, 5 play tennis and
football, and 10 play baseball and football, determine how many students play
all three sports.

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

(B) Let T BF represent the number of students that play all three sports, let B
be the number of students that play baseball, let F be the number of students
that play football, and let T be the number of students that play tennis. Let
T B, BF, and T F represent the number of students who play the appropriate
combinations of the individual sports. Then a Venn diagram shows that the
total number of students (ie, 50) equals T + B + F T B T F BF + T BF .
Therefore 50 = 15 + 25 + 30 8 5 10 + T BF which implies that T BF = 3.
Alternatively, label each region of the Venn diagram as shown.

........................... ..................................
. .. ............. ...... ...... .......
.
. ... .. ......
. .
.....
....
.. .. .. .. ..... ...
.. .. ... ...
.. . 8 x .
............................... . B
T ... 2 + x ....................... .. ........ 7 + x ....
.
... .. . . ...... ..
... ....... ...
... x . .
.
. ...
.. ..
... .. .
... .... 5 x ..... ....10 x ..... ....
..... . ....... ... ....
........ .... ..
... ......................................... ...............................................
.... ..
... ..
.
... .
... 15 + x . ..
... .
.... .
. ...
..... .
...... .........
......... .
..........................................
F
14. Suppose N is a positive integer that is a perfect cube. Which of the following
represents the next positive integer that is a perfect cube?
3

3

3
(A) N 3 + 3 N + 1 (B) N + 3 N 2 + 3 N + 1 (C) N 3 + 3N 2 + 3N + 1
(D) N 3 + N 2 + N + 1 (E) N 3

(B) If N = x3 , then (x + 1)3 = x3 + 3x2 + 3x + 1 = N + 3 3 N 2 + 3 3 N + 1.

4
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

15. How many ordered pairs of integers with a sum 23 have a product that is
maximal?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) infinitely many

(C) The product 12 11 = 132 is the largest product possible among pairs
of integers with sum 23, and there are two ordered pairs (12, 11) and (11, 12)
whose product is 132.

16. The sum of the zeros of f (x) = x(2x + 3)(4x + 5) + (6x + 7)(8x + 9) is
35 35
(A) (B) (C) 70 (D) 70 (E) 0
4 4

70 35
(A) Since f (x) = 8x3 + 70x2 + 125x + 63, the sum of zeros is 8
= 4
.

17. Three points A = (0, 1), B = (2, a), and C = (3, 7) are on the straight line.
What is the value of a ?

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

a1 71
(B) The slope of AB is the same as that of AC. That is 20
= 30
.

18. If x > 0 and if 5, 6 + x, 7 + x are the lengths of a right triangle, what is x ?

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

(A) Since 7 + x is largest, 52 + (6 + x)2 = (7 + x)2 so that 2x 12 = 0 and

x = 6.

19. One leg of a right triangle is two meters longer than twice the length of the
other leg. The hypotenuse is four meters less than the sum of the two legs.
What is the perimeter of the triangle, in meters?

(A) 20 (B) 25 (C) 30 (D) 35 (E) 50

(C) The three sides have lengths x, 2x+2, and 3x2, and these numbers satisfy
the Pythagorean identity a2 +b2 = c2 . Thus, x2 +4(x2 +2x+1) = 9x2 12x+4,
which is equivalent to 4x2 20x = 0, so the solutions are x = 0 and x = 5.
Therefore the perimeter is 5 + 12 + 13 = 30.

5
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

20. Margaret and Cyprian both have some nickels, dimes and quarters, at least
one of each type and a different number of each type. Margaret has the same
number of quarters as Cyprian has dimes, and she has the same number of
dimes as Cyprian has nickels. She also has the same number of nickels as
Cyprian has quarters. The value of their coins is the same. What is the least
value they could have?

(A) 85 (B) 95 (C) 105 (D) 125 (E) 135

(A) Let K denote this least value and let n, d, and q denote the number of
nickels, dimes, and quarters respectively Margaret has. Then 5n + 10d + 25q =
K and 25n + 10q + 5d = K. Subtracting one equation from the other yields
d = 4n 3q. We want to minimize q, so we try q = 1. Then n = 1 is not
allowed so we try n = 2 and we get d = 5, so the value of K is 85. The other
possible values can be easily eliminated.

21. For what value of k are the lines 2x + 3y = 4k and x 2ky = 7 perpendicular?

(A) 3/4 (B) 1/6 (C) 1/3 (D) 1/2 (E) 2/3

(C) The slope of the first line is 2/3 so the slope of the second, which is
1/2k must be 3/2. Hence, k = 1/3.

22. Suppose {a, b, c, d, e, f } = {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}. What is the least possible value of
ab + cd + ef ?

(A) 50 (B) 52 (C) 53 (D) 60 (E) 68

(B) The smallest value is the one obtained by pairing up the largest and
smallest members of the set. Thus 2 7 + 3 6 + 4 5 = 52 is the least sum
obtainable.

6
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

23. An octahedral net is a collection of adjoining triangles that can be folded into
a regular octahedron. When the net below is folded to form an octahedron,
what is the sum of the faces adjacent to one marked with a 3?

(A) 13 (B) 15 (C) 17 (D) 18 (E) 19

...
..... ......
... 3 .....
..... ...
...
....
... ........ ......
... 8 ... ... 1 ..... ......
..
... .. 7 ... .. 4 ...
... .. ... .. ...
... .. ...... ...
..... .
. .
... .... ...
... .... 5 ...
... 2 ...... .....
.... .....
...
...
... ....
.
... 6 ....
... ...
.....

(B) The octagon is dual to the cube. In other words, if we make each face of
the octagon into a vertex and declare two faces (vertices) to be adjacent if the
faces have an edge in common, the resulting figure is a cube.

4
. ... ..
. .. . ..........................
...... .. .............
. ..
.
.............
. .
. .......
.
1 .. .......
.
... ........ .. ........
... ....... .. .............. .... ... 6
. ...
... ....... ........... .
... ........... . ..
... .
3.. .......5... . .
... . . . .. . ..... ..
.
... .......... . .. . . ....... .
. ...... .. ...... ...
.......... . ........
7 ........... .. ...
....... .. .
.. ...
........ ..... 2
..
....... . ...........
...............
8
Note that the vertex 7 is adjacent to vertices 1, 5, and 8, that 8 must be ad-
jacent to both 3 and 2. Continuing in this way, find that 3 is adjacent to 1, 6,
and 8 for a total of 15.

7
Second draft, UNC Charlotte 2003 Algebra

24. Let f (a, b, c) = a+b

c
+ b+c
a
+ a+c
b
. There is an integer u such that f (u1, u, 2u) =
2
8. What is f (u 3, 2u 3, 2u 4)?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 8

(E) First solve 2u12u

+ 3u1
u
3u
+ u1 = 8. The equation is equivalent to 14u2
11u + 3 = 8(2u)(u 1) which leads to u = 3. Thus we need to compute
f (6, 3, 2) which is 8.

25. Let M and N denote the two integers that are respectively twice and three
times the sum of their digits. What is M + N ?

(A) 27 (B) 36 (C) 45 (D) 54 (E) 60

(C) Let M = 10a + b. Then 2(a + b) = 10a + b and it follows that 8a = b and
M = 18. Similarly, we can show that M = 27, so their sum is 45.

26. How many integer solutions (x, y, z) does 1

x
+ yz = 13
21
,x < 7 have, where y and
z are relatively prime?

(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

(C) This solution is inadequate. Ill expand it if it makes the cut. Just list
the answer, using the formula yz = 13 21
x1 . The five solutions are (x, y, z) =
(2, 5, 42); (3, 2, 7); (4, 31, 84); (5, 44, 105); and (6, 19, 42).

8
 UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra
with solutions
March 8, 2004
q
1. Let z denote the real number solution to 3+ x 1 = 5. What is the sum
of the digits of z?
(A) 13 (B) 14 (C) 15 (D) 16 (E) 17
Solution: E. Square both sides twice to get z = (52 3)2 + 1 = 485, so the
sum of the digits is 4 + 8 + 5 = 17.
2. Which of the following is equivalent, where it is defined, to
1x
1 1+x
x1 ?
1+ x+1

4x 1 2x
(A) 1 (B) (C) (D) 0 (E)
x+1 x 2x 2
Solution: A. Note that x 1 = (1 x) so the numerator and denominator
are the same. Alternatively, combine the fractions and simplify.
3. A two-inch cube (2 2 2) of silver weighs 3 pounds and is worth $320. How
much is a three-inch cube of silver worth?
(A) $480 (B) $600 (C) $800 (D) $900 (E) $1080
Solution: E. The value of a 3 3 3 cube is (27/8)(320) = 27 40 = 1080.
4. Which of the following lines has a slope that is less than the sum of its x- and
y- intercepts?
(A) y = 2x + 1 (B) y = 3x/2 1 (C) y = 4x 1
(D) y = 4x + 16/3 (E) y = 3x
Solution: C. Check these to see that only y = 4x1 satisfies the condition.
5. What is the remainder when x4 x2 + 1 is divided by x2 + 1?
(A) 3 (B) 1 (C) 0 (D) 3 (E) 4
Solution: D. By long division x x +1 = (x2 +1)(x2 2)+3, so the remainder
4 2

is 3. Alternatively, since all of the exponents are even, the remainder obtained
from dividing x4 x2 + 1 by x2 + 1 is the same as the remainder obtained from
dividing y 2 y + 1 by y + 1. For the latter pair, the remainder can be found
easily by simply calculating (1)2 (1) + 1 = 3 since y + 1 = 0 for y = 1.
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

6. An ancient Greek problem is the followingMake a crown of gold, copper, tin,

and iron weighing 60 minae: gold and copper shall be 2/3 of it; gold and tin
3/4 of it; and gold and iron 3/5 of it. How many minae of gold are in the
crown?

(A) 30.5 (B) 31.5 (C) 33.5 (D) 35.5 (E) 36.5

Solution: A. Let g, c, t, and i denote the number of minae of gold, copper,

tin, and iron respectively. Then g + c = 40, g + t = 45, g + i = 36, and g +
(40 g) + (45 g) + (36 g) = 60 and it follows that g = 30.5 minae (9.5
minae of copper, 14.5 minae of tin, and 5.5 minae of iron). Alternatively, since
(g + c) + (g + t) + (g + i) = 2g + (g + c + t + i) = 121. Thus 2g = 61 since
g + c + t + i = 60.

7. Find the area of the polygon ABCDE if the vertices are located at the follow-
ing coordinates: A = (1, 0), B = (0, 1), C = (1, 0), D = (2, 1), E = (2, 2).

(A) 3 (B) 3.5 (C) 4 (D) 4.5 (E) 5

Solution: D. Let F be the point with coordinates (2, 0). Then triangle ABC
has area 1, triangle CDF has area 0.5, and triangle AF E has area 3. The
total area is 4.5. ...

B D
............... .. ....
.
.. ..... ....
A ......... .....
F ...
.......
....... C
.......
.......
.......
.......
.....
E

2
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

8. The mean of three numbers is ten more than the least of the numbers and
fifteen less than the greatest of the three. If the median of the three numbers
is 5, then the sum of the three is

(A) 5 (B) 20 (C) 25 (D) 30 (E) 36

Solution: D. Let a, b, and c denote the three numbers and assume a b c.

Then (a + b + c)/3 = 10 + a = c 15. The number b is the median, which is
5. Therefore, a + c + 5 = 30 + 3a and a + c + 5 = 3c 45. Thus 2a c = 25
and 2c a = 50. Solving simultaneously for a and c, we get a = 0 and c = 25.
Therefore a + b + c = 30. Alternatively, without solving for a and c, we may
suppose a < b < c. So b = 5 is the median. Avoiding fractions, the first
condition is equivalent to a + 5 + c = 3a + 30, and the second is equivalent to
a + 5 + c = 3c 45. So c = 2a + 25 and a = 2c 50. Add the two equations
together to get a + c = 2(a + c) 25. Thus a + c = 25 and a + b + c = 30.

9. Let N denote the smallest four-digit number with all different digits that is
divisible by each of its digits. What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 7 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 16

Solution: D. None of the four digits can be 0 because no number is divisible

by 0. Thus the smallest four digit number with four different digits that we
need consider is 1234. But this is not divisible by either 3 or 4; the next
number 1235 is not divisible by either 2 or 3. Trying 1236, we see that it is
divisible by each of its digits.

10. The polynomial p(x) = 4x3 ax2 41x + b has zeros at x = 1/2, 3, and
7/2. What is the product of a and b?

(A) 55 (B) 55 (C) 0 (D) 60 (E) 84

Solution: E. Recalling the relationship between the coefficients of xn1 and

x0 of a degree n polynomial, and the sum and product of the zeros respectively,
we find that a/4 = 1/2 + 3 7/2 = 1, so a = 4, and b/4 = (1/2)
3 (7/2) = 21/4, so b = 21. The product is 84. Alternatively, you can
find a and b by solving simultaneously any two of the equations p(1/2) =
0, p(3) = 0, and p(7/2) = 0. Yet another possible solution comes by taking
the product 4 (x + 21 )(x 3)(x + 72 ) and finding a and b from what is obtained.

3
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

11. Suppose a and b are positive integers for which (2a + b)2 (a + 2b)2 = 9. What
is ab?

(A) 2 (B) 6 (C) 9 (D) 12 (E) 24

Solution: A. Expand and cancel to get 4a2 + 4ab + b2 a2 4ab 4b2 = 9,
so 3a2 3b2 = 9. This can happen only if (a b)(a + b) = 3, which is true in
case a b = 1 and a + b = 3 since a + b cannot be negative. It follows that
a = 2 and b = 1, so ab = 2.

12. For which of the following values of a does the line y = a(x 3) and the circle
(x 3)2 + y 2 = 25 have two points of intersection, one in the 1st quadrant and
one in the 4th quadrant?

(A) 1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) None of A,B,C, and D

Solution: D. The line goes through the center of the circle, (3, 0) so it must
intersect the circle twice. For a = 1 the intersection includes a point in the
second quadrant. For a = 2, the line is y = 2x 6, so (x 3)2 + (2x 6)2 = 25,
which becomes (x 3)2 = 5, which has two positive solutions. For a = 0 the
intersection includes only points on the x-axis. For a = 1, the intersection
includes a point of the third quadrant.
Alternate Solution: The intersection of the circle with the y-axis is a pair of
points (0, 4) and (0, 4). The slope of the line through the center and (0, 4) is
4/3 and the slope of the line thought the center and the point (0, 4) is 4/3.
The lines with slopes 1, 0 and 1 cross the y-axis between (0, 4) and (0, 4),
so cannot intersect the circle in both the first and fourth quadrants. On the
other hand, a line through the center whose slope has absolute values greater
than 4/3 intersects the circle in both of these quadrants. Thus a = 2 works.

13. Which of the following is not an asymptote of the function

|x|(x 2)(x + 3)
R(x) = ?
x(x + 2)(x 3)

(A) x = 0 (B) x = 2 (C) x = 3 (D) y = 1 (E) y = 1

Solution: A. The numbers x = 2 and x = 3 are zeros of the denominator
but not the numerator. Also, limx R(x) = 1 and limx R(x) = 1, so
the function has both horizontal asymptotes. But the line x = 0 is not a
vertical asymptote.

4
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

ax+b
14. The non-zero real numbers a, b, c, d have the property that cx+d
= 1 has no
2
solution in x. What is the value of a2a+c2 ?

(A) 0 (B) 1/2 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) an irrational number

Solution: B. The equation is solvable if ax + b = cx + d which is equivalent

to (a c)x = d b. This has a solution unless a = c. Therefore a = c and it
2
follows that a2a+c2 = 12 .

15. What is the sum of the coefficients of the expanded form of (2x 3y + 3)4 ?

(A) 0 (B) 16 (C) 81 (D) 625 (E) 1000

Solution: B. Let x = y = 1. Then each term of the expansion is its coefficient,

and the sum of these coefficients is (2 3 + 3)4 = 16. Alternatively, expand
the expression and add the coefficients.

16. For what value of k do the graphs f (x) = |x + 1| and g(x) = |x/2 3| + k
intersect in exactly one point?

(A) 3.5 (B) 2.5 (C) 1.5 (D) 0.5 (E) 2.5

Solution: A. Since f (1) = 0, to satisfy the hypothesis, the point (1, 0)

must belong to the graph of g. Thus g(1) = | 1/2 3| + k = 0, from which
it follows that k = 3.5.

17. Let the function f be defined by f (x) = x2 + 40. If m is a positive number

such that f (2m) = 2f (m) which of the following is true?

(A) 0 < m 4 (B) 4 < m 8 (C) 8 < m 12 (D) 12 < m 16

(E) 16 < m

Solution: B. Note that f (2m) = (2m)2 + 40 = 4m2 + 40 and 2f (m) =

2(m2 + 40) = 2m2 + 80. It follows that 2m2 = 40, so 4 < m 8.

5
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

18. Suppose that logb 7 = 1.209062. Which of the following values is closest to b?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: C. The given equation is equivalent to b1.209062 = 7. Taking the

common log of both sides we obtain 1.209062 log b = log 7. Therefore log b =
log 7
1.209062
0.6987 and b = 100.6987 5. Alternatively, simply calculate b1.209062
for the five numbers given. Start in the middle, that way if 51.209062 isnt equal
to 7, which side of 7 it is on tells you whether to try larger values for b or
smaller ones. In this case a miracle happens and it turns out that 5 is the
correct choice.

19. Suppose the number a satisfies a log a + log log a log(log log 2 log log a) = 0.
(aa )
What is the value of a(a ) ?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 4 (D) 8 (E) 16

a
Solution: B. Use the laws of logarithms
a
  get a log a = log log 2 log log a,
to
log 2
which is equivalent to log a(a ) = log log a . Since the two logs are equal, their
a log 2 a
arguments are also equal, so a(a ) = log a
. But this implies that log a a(a ) =
(aa ) (aa )
log aa = log 2, and from this it follows that a(a ) = 2.

6
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

20. Find an ordered pair (n, m) of positive integers satisfying

1 1 1 2
+ = .
n m mn 5
What is mn?

(A) 5 (B) 10 (C) 15 (D) 20 (E) 45

Solution: B. By multiplying each fraction by 5mn, we can transform the

equation into the equivalent 2mn = 5(m n + 1). Notice that this implies
that either m or n is a multiple of 5. This leads us to try various multiples of
5 for m. Alternatively, transform the equation further to get

2mn 5m + 5n 5 = 0.

Subtract 15/2 from both sides so that we can factor to get

m(2n 5) + 5(2n 5)/2 = 15/2.

Massage this to get (2n 5)(2m + 5) = 15. Since m is positive, 2m + 5 > 0.

Therefore, 2n 5 < 0. The only values of n making 2n 5 < 0 are n = 1
and n = 2. The choice n = 1 requires m = 0. So the solution m = 5, n = 2 is
unique. Alternatively, clear the fractions to get 5(m + 1) 5n = 5m 5n + 5 =
2mn. Since m and n are positive integers, the same is true for 2mn. Thus
m + 1 > n and 5 5n 0. If n = 1, we would have 5m = 2m which is
impossible. Thus n > 1 and we have 5m > 2mn so 5 > 2n. Therefore the
only possible value for n is 2. Now simply solve for m: 5m 10 + 5 = 4m, so
m = 5 and mn = 10.

7
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

21. A standard deck of playing cards with 26 red and 26 black cards is split into
two non-empty piles. In pile A there are four times as many black cards as red
cards. In pile B, the number of red cards is an integer multiple of the number
of black cards. How many red cards are in Pile B?

(A) 16 (B) 18 (C) 20 (D) 22 (E) 24

Solution: C. Let r1 and b1 denote the number of red and black cards in pile
A, so the numbers in pile B must be r2 = 26 r1 and b2 = 26 b1 . Also, the
numbers r1 and b1 satisfy b1 = 4r1 and 26 r1 = k(26 b1 ) for some integer
k. Combining these equations and solving for r1 , we find that

26(k 1)
r1 = .
4k 1
Trying values of k starting at 2, we finally find that when k = 10, r1 is an
integer. Solving this we get r1 = 926
39
= 6 and thus r2 = 20. Alternate Solution:
Let r be the number of red cards in stack A and let b be the number of black
cards in stack A. Then 4r = b > 0 and 26 r = p(26 b) for some integer
p. Since b is even and p is an integer, r must be even. Thus b is a positive
integer multiple of 8. The only such numbers less than or equal to 26 are 8,
16 and 24. Having b = 8 requires r = 2. For this pair 24 = 26 2 is not an
integer multiple of 18 = 26 8. Having b = 16 requires r = 4. For this pair
22 = 26 4 is not an integer multiple of 10 = 26 16. But for b = 24 we have
r = 6 and 20 = 26 6 = 10(2) = 10(26 24).
For yet another approach, substitute 4r for b into the second equation and solve
for r to get r = 26(p1)/(4p1). If the denominator is not an integer multiple
of 13, then r will be. But that is impossible since 4r = b 26. Thus 4p 1
must be an odd integer multiple of 13. The smallest positive integer multiple
of 13 that is one less than a multiple of 4 is 39. This occurs when p = 10. The
corresponding value for r is 6. This yields b = 24. [Here is a formal proof that
this is the only positive integer solution: If 0 < r < s are integer multiples of
13 that are both one less than a multiple of 4, then s r is both an integer
multiple of 13 and an integer multiple of 4. Thus every positive integer multiple
of 13 that is both one less than a multiple of 4 and strictly larger than 39 is of
the form 39 + 4 13k = 39 + 52k for some positive integer k. Let q = 10 + 13k.
Then 4q 1 = 39 + 52k. Substitute q in for p in the fraction 26(p 1)/(4p 1)
and then replace q by 10+13k. The resulting fraction is 26(9+13k)/(39+52k)
which reduces to (18 + 26k)/(3 + 4k) = 6 + (2k/(3 + 4k)) > 6 since k > 0.

8
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

Obviously, 2k/(3 + 4k) is never an integer when k is a positive. So the only

solution is when p = 10.]

22. The graphs of x2 + y 2 = 24x + 10y 120 and x2 + y 2 = k 2 intersect when k

satisfies 0 a k b, and for no other positive values of k. Find b a.

(A) 10 (B) 14 (C) 26 (D) 34 (E) 144

Solution: B. The first circle (x 12)2 + (y 5)2 = 49 is centered at (12, 5)

and has radius 7, while the second is centered at (0, 0) and has radius k. The
two circle intersect when 6 k 20, so b a = 14.
Alternatively, let C be the circle given by the equation x2 +y 2 = 24x+10y120.
An equivalent equation for C is (x 12)2 + (y 5)2 = 49. So the radius of
C is 7 and the center is (12, 7). Let L be the line through the origin and the
point (12, 5), the center of C. Since the radius of C is less than 12, the line L
intersects C at two points in the first quadrant, call them P and Q and assume
the x-coordinate of P is smaller than the x-coordinate of Q. The point P must
be on the circle with center at (0, 0) and radius a and the point Q must be on
the circle with center at (0, 0) and radius b. Since P and Q are on the circle
C, on a line through the center of C and on the same line through the center
of the other two circles, the distance between P and Q is b a = 14.

23. The product of three consecutive non-zero integers is 33 times the sum of the
three integers. What is the sum of the digits of this product?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 12 (D) 16 (E) 18

Solution: E. If the three integers are denoted n 1, n, and n + 1, then their

sum is 3n and their product is n(n2 1). Thus n(n2 1) = 33 3n = 99n,
from which it follows that n2 1 = 99 and so n = 10. The product is 990 and
the sum of the digits is 9 + 9 + 0 = 18.

9
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

24. It is possible that the difference of two cubes is a perfect square. For example,
282 = a3 b3 for certain positive integers, a and b. In this example, what is
a + b?

(A) 12 (B) 14 (C) 16 (D) 18 (E) 20

Solution: C. Since 282 = a3 b3 is an even number, a and b must have the

same parity (either both are odd or both are even). In either case, ab is even.
Next note that b 6= 1 since 282 +13 is not a perfect cube. Therefore b 2. Note
that 282 = a3 b3 = (ab)(a2 +ab+b2 ). Now ab < 8 because ab 8 implies
that a2 + ab + b2 282 /8 = 98, but a b + 8 10 implies a2 + ab + b2 100.
Thus a b is an even factor of 282 that is less than 8. The only possibilities
are 2 and 4. Trying a b = 2 yields the quadratic a2 + ab + b2 = 196 which
reduces to (b + 2)2 + (b + 2)b + b2 = 196, which has no integer solutions. Trying
a b = 4 yields a = b + 4 and so (b + 4)2 + (4 + b)b + b2 = 282 4 = 196.
This reduces to 3b2 + 12b 180 = 0, which can be factored to yield roots of
b = 10 and b = 6. It follows that a = 10 and a + b = 16.
Alternatively, one could build a table with values 784 + n3 for integer values
of n and see when a perfect cube comes up. Yet another alternative is to
rewrite the equation as 282 + b3 = a3 . Since a and b are positive integers,
a3 > 282 = 784. Note that 1000 = 103 is larger than 784 and 729 = 93 is
smaller. Thus the smallest integer that might possibly work for a is a = 10.
This actually works since 1000 784 = 216 = 63 . So if there is a correct single
answer, it must be that a + b = 16.

25. The three faces of a rectangular box have areas of 40, 45, and 72 square inches.
What is the volume, in cubic inches, of the box?

(A) 300 (B) 330 (C) 360 (D) 400 (E) 450

2 2 2
Solution: C. Let x, y, and z denote the dimensions of the box.
Then, x y z =
xy xz yz = 40 45 72 = 129, 600. Therefore, xyz = 129, 600 = 360.
Alternatively, let x, y and z be the dimensions with xy = 40, xz = 45 and
yz = 72. Solve directly for x by solving yz = 72 for z and then substituting
into xz = 45 to get 72x/y = 45. Thus y = 72x/45. Substitute this into
xy = 40 to obtain 72x2 /45 = 40. This yields x2 = 25, so x = 5. Thus the
volume is x(yz) = 5(72) = 360. [Or solve for y or z.]

10
UNC Charlotte 2004 Algebra

26. Two women and three girls wish to cross a river. Their small rowboat will
carry the weight of only one woman or two girls. What is the minimum number
of times the boat must cross the river in order to get all five females to the
opposite side? At least one person must be in the boat each time it crosses
the river.

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 13 (E) 15

Solution: C. It takes 11 trips back and forth. We can write this as follows:
gg g w g gg g w g gg g gg where the first, third, fifth, etc symbol represents
a trip from the starting bank to the destination bank, and the symbols in the
even positions represent the return trips.

11
 UNC Charlotte 2005 Algebra
March 7, 2005

1. What is the y-coordinate of the vertex of the parabola y = x2 6x + 4?

(A) 5 (B) 3 (C) 3 (D) 5 (E) 9

Solution: A. Complete the square to get y +9 = x2 6x+9+4, so y +5 = (x3)2 ,

and y = (x 3)2 5, so the vertex is (3, 5).

2. The line y = x intersects the circle (x 3)2 + (y 2)2 = 1 in two points. What is
the sum of the x-coordinates of the two points?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 9/2 (D) 5 (E) 11/2

Solution: D. Replacing y with x yields (x 3)2 + (x 2)2 = 1 which reduces to

2x2 10x + 12 = 0, the sum of whose zeros is (10/2) = 5. Alternatively, solve
the quadratic for x = 2 and x = 3.
For yet another solution, notice that the center of the circle is the point (3, 2) and
the radius is 1. Since 3 3 = 0 and 3 2 = 1, one of the points is (3, 3). The other
is (2, 2) since (2 3)2 = 1 and 2 2 = 0. Thus the sum is 5.

3. The mean of the 7-member list x, 3x 4, 4x 3, 16, 9, 5x + 2, and x 2 is 4.

What is the median of the list?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 6.5 (D) 8 (E) 9

Solution: A. The sum of the seven is 7x 7 = 7(x 1) which is 28 because the

mean is 4. It follows that x = 3 and the list in order by value is 16, 1, 3, 5, 9, 9, 17,
so the median is 5.
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
4. Suppose we have two thermometers, one which measures temperature F in degrees
Fahrenheit and one which measures temperature C in degrees Celsius. The read-
ings are related by the formula F = 95 C + 32. Is it possible to be at a location
where both thermometers give the same numerical reading? If so, which of the
locations below is the most likely place for this to happen?

(A) There is no such location

(B) at the North Pole (very cold)

(C) at the equator (very hot)

(D) in North Carolina (moderate temperature)

(E) all of these locations are equally likely

Solution: B. C = 9C/5 + 32 implies 4C/5 = 32 which implies that C =

32 5/4 = 40.
Alternatively, here is a simple way to eliminate choices C, D and E: if C 0,
then F = (9/5)C + 32 > (9/5)C. So C < 0 (out of my moderate range). To
get to B as the answer: estimate where the lines F = (9/5)C + 32 and F = C
cross. For C = 0, F = 32 on the first line and F = 0 on the second. So the line
F = (9/5)C + 32 is above the line F = C when C = 0. Try multiples of 10 for
C until you reach C = 40 where the exact crossing occurs.

5. During one quarter of the school year, Kristen took 3 tests. On the second test
her grade increased by 25% compared to the first test and then on the third test
her grade decreased by 23% compared to the second test. Then with respect to
the first test, her grade on the third test

(A) increased by about 2% (B) increased by about 1%

(C) decreased by about 2% (D) decreased by about 4%

(E) stayed almost the same

Solution: D. Let x be the grade on Kristens first test, then 1.25x is the grade
on her second test, and .77(1.25x) = .9625x is the third test grade. So the grade
has decreased by almost 4%.

2
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
6. Find the largest possible integer n such that 1 + 2 + 3 + n 200.

(A) 14 (B) 17 (C) 19 (D) 21 (E) 23

Solution: C. The sum 1 + 2 + 3 + + n can be found easily to be n(n + 1)/2.

Thus n(n + 1)/2 200 and n(n + 1) 400. So n is close to 20. Check n = 20
to see that 1 + 2 + 3 + + 20 = 10 21 = 210, so we try n = 19 and see that
1 + 2 + + 19 = 190.
On the other hand, since 1 + 2 + + n = n(n + 1)/2 200 it follows that
n(n + 1) = n2 + n 400. No matter what the value of n, n2 < n2 + n < (n + 1)2 .
Since 400 = 202 , n cannot be 20, but n + 1 can. So the correct value is 19.

7. The polynomial p(x) = 2x4 x3 7x2 + ax + b is divisible by x2 2x 3 for certain

values of a and b. What is the sum of a and b?

(A) 34 (B) 30 (C) 26 (D) 18 (E) 30

Solution: A. Because x2 2x 3 = (x 3)(x + 1) p(x) has zeros of 3 and

1, p(3) = 72 + 3a + b = 0 and p(1) = 4 a + b = 0 which we can solve
simultaneously to get a = 19 and b = 15.
Alternatively, simply start by dividing 2x4 x3 7x2 +ax+b by x2 2x3 by long
division. The last step is to subtract 5x2 10x 15 from 5x2 + (9 + a)x + b. The
difference must be 0. So b = 15 and 9 + a = 10. Thus a = 19 and a + b + 34.
No factoring is done.
Yet another method is to factor x2 2x 3 and see that it has two zeros, x = 3
and x = 1. Use synthetic division (starting with either zerohere starting with
x = 1) to see that (1) b a 4 = 0, and (2) 2x4 x3 7x2 + ax + b =
(x + 1)(2x3 3x2 4x + a + 4). Now use synthetic division with x = 3 on the
quotient 2x3 3x2 4x + a + 4 to see that a + 19 = 0. Thus a = 19. Put this
into (1) to see that b = 15, etc.

8. The numbers x and y satisfy 2x = 15 and 15y = 32. What is the value of xy?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) none of A, B, C or D

Solution: C. Note that (2x )y = 15y = 32 so 2xy = 25 and xy = 5. Alternatively,

x = log 15/ log 2 and y = log 32/ log 15 so xy = log 32/ log 2 = 5.

3
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
9. One hundred monkeys have 100 apples to divide. Each adult gets three apples
while three children share one. How many adult monkeys are there?

(A) 10 (B) 20 (C) 25 (D) 30 (E) 33

Solution: C. Assume there are x adults and y children, then x + y = 100 and
3x + (1/3)y = 100. Solving simultaneously leads to x = 25 and y = 75.

10. Let x and y be positive integers satisfying

1 1
+ = 5/6.
x+1 y1
Find x + y.

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

Solution: D. Since x and y are natural numbers, y 2. Let u = x + 1 and

v = y 1, u and v are natural numbers with u 2 and v 1. One of 1/u and
1/v is at least half of 5/6, so either u 12/5 = 2.4 or v 12/5 = 2.4. Consider
the two cases: case one, u = 2 so x = 1 then v = 3 then y = 4; case two, v = 2 so
y = 3 then u = 3 then x = 2. In either case, x + y = 5.

11. Let x and y be two integers that satisfy all of the following properties:

(a) 5 < x < y,

(b) x is a power of a prime and y is a power of a prime, and
(c) the quantities xy + 3 and xy 3 are both primes.

4
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
Among all the solutions, let (x, y) be the one with the smallest product. Which of
the following statements is true?

(A) x + y is a perfect square (B) the number xy is prime

(C) y = x + 3 (D) y = x + 1 (E) x + y = 17

Solution: D. From the condition (a), we see that x 6 and y 7, so that

xy3 39. The first few prime numbers are larger that 39 are 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, . . ..
Because of condition (c), we look for a pair that differs by 6. See the table on the
last page. We can see that the first such pair is 47 and 53, which would give
xy = 50 = 2 52 . We cant satisfy both (a) and (b) with this product. The next
pair to check is 53 and 59. This gives xy = 56 = 7 23 and the pair (x, y) = (7, 23 )
satisfies (a)-(c).
Alternatively, (i) start a list of the integers larger than 5 that are powers of primes,
7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 17,...; (ii) note that the smallest product with x < y is 7 8
which just happens to be exactly 3 more than the prime 53 and 3 less than the
prime 59.

12. The product of three consecutive positive integers is eight times their sum. What
is the sum of their squares?

(A) 50 (B) 77 (C) 110 (D) 149 (E) 194

Solution: B. If the numbers are n 1, n, and n + 1, then (n 1)(n)(n + 1) =

8(n 1 + n + n + 1) = 24n. Because n 6= 0, it follows that so n2 1 = 24 and it
follows that n = 5. The sum of the squares is 16 + 25 + 36 = 77.

13. If ab = 999 and both a and b are two digit positive integers, what is a + b?

(A) 64 (B) 66 (C) 120 (D) 336 (E) 1000

Solution: A. Clearly 999 = 9 111, but 9 has one to few digits and 111 has one
too many. Since 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, 3 is a factor of 111. Dividing yields 111 = 3 37,
with 37 a prime. So the only factoring into two digit integers is 27 37.

5
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
14. Let P (x) be a polynomial with P (1) = 1 and P (x) = P (x 1) + x3 for all real x.
Calculate P (3).

(A) 36 (B) 9 (C) 1 (D) 9 (E) 36

Solution: D. Note that P (x1) = P (x)x3 for all x. Hence P (0) = P (1)1 = 0
and P (1) = P (0) 03 = 0. Now one can proceed to P (3) = P (2) (2)3 =
P (1) (1)3 (2)3 = 13 + 23 = 9.

15. Solve the equation x+1+x1 = 3 for x.
x+1 x1

(A) 4/3 (B) 5/3 (C) 7/5 (D) 9/5 (E) none of A, B, C or D

Solution: B. Cross multiplying and simplifying, we obtain 2 x 1 = x + 1.
Squaring both sides yields 4 (x 1) = x + 1 or 3x = 5. Thus, x = 5/3.

16. Which of the following is closest to the smallest positive rational number that is
an integer multiple of the numbers 10 , 5 , and 67 ?
21 14

(A) 1.43 (B) 2.79 (C) 3.43 (D) 4.29 (E) 5.74

Solution: D. We can write the three numbers as 20/42, 15/42, 36/42. Since 20
= 22 5, 15 = 3 5. and, 36 = 22 32 . The least common multiple is (22 32 5) /42 =
30/7 4.29.

6
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
17. Suppose all three of the points (2, 10), (1, 8), and (4, 10) lie on the graph of
y = ax2 + bx + c. What is abc?

(A) 24 (B) 0 (C) 12 (D) 24 (E) 48

Solution: E. By symmetry, the vertex must be the point (x, y) = ((2+4)/2, y) =

(1, y) = (1, 8), so b/2a = 1. Evaluating at 1 yields a 12 2a 1 + c = 8.
Replacing b and c with their values in terms of a, a(2)2 2a(2) + a 8 = 10
from which it follows that a = 2, whence b = 4 and c = 6.Thus the product is
48.
Alternatively, write the three conditions

4a 2b + c = 10 (1)
a + b + c = 8 (2)
16a + 4b + c = 10 (3)

Subtracting (2) from (1), we have 3a 3b = 18 so a b = 6. Subtracting (1)

from (3) gives 12a + 6b = 0 so 2a + b = 0. We now find 3a = 6 so a = 2, then
b = a 6 = 4, and c = 8 a b = 6 and their product is 48.
Alternate solution using properties of parabolas. (1) First step is the same, use
symmetry to get that the x-coordinate of the vertex is x = 1. (2) Next note that
the point (4, 10) is 3 units to the right of the vertex and 18 = 2 32 units above
the vertex, this implies that a = 2. (3) Since b/2a = 1, b = 4. Plugging in any
of the three x-coordinates and calculating to get the corresponding y-coordinate
yields c = 6.

7
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
18. An amount of $2000 is invested at r% interest compounded continuously. After
four years, the account has grown to $2800. Assuming that it continues to grow at
this rate for 16 more years, how much will be in the account?

(A) $8976.47 (B) $9874.23 (C) $10001.99

(D) $10756.48 (E) $2004.35

Solution: D. Use the formula A = P ert where r is the annual rate of interest, t
is the time in years, P is the principle, and A is the amount in the account at time
t. Then 2800 = 2000e4r , which implies that r = (log 1.4)/4. So the amount in the
account after 4 + 16 = 20 years is A = 2000e20r = 2000 (eln 1.4/4 )20 = 2000(1.4)5 =
10756.48.
Alternate solution: Since 16 is an integer multiple of 4, all that matters is that
we start with $2000 and have $2800 after four yearsthe type of compounding
doesnt matter. Based on compounding on a four year cycle, the (decimal) rate is
800/2000 = .4. So we simply use 5 compoundings at this rate to see that the
amount in the account will be A = 2000 (1.4)5 = 10, 756.48.

19. A cubic polynomial p(x) with leading coefficient 1 has three zeros, x = 1, x = 1,
and x = 3. What is the value p(2)?

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

Solution: A. The polynomial is p(x) = a(x 1)(x + 1)(x 3), and since the
leading coefficient of p is 1, it follows that a = 1. Thus p(2) = 1 3 (1) = 3.

20. Which of the following numbers is closest to the sum of the roots of the given
equation?
|2x 5| = x2 2x 2

(A) 1.25 (B) 0.75 (C) 0.35 (D) 1.15 (E) 2.12

Solution: C. Condition on the value of x. If x 2.5 then the equation becomes

2x 5 = x2 2x 2 which has one solution larger than 2.5, namely x = 3. If
2
the equation becomes 2x + 5 = x 2x 2 and
x < 2.5 then this leads to x2 = 7.
Note that 7 > 2.5. Thus the two roots are x = 3 and x = 7 and their sum is
very close to 0.35.

8
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
21. Let p denote the smallest prime number greater than 200 for which there are
positive integers a and b satisfying

a2 + b2 = p.

What is a + b?

(A) 16 (B) 17 (C) 18 (D) 19 (E) 20

Solution: B. Note that a2 + b2 is even if both a and b have the same parity.
Since a2 + b2 is odd, one of a and b is odd and the other is even. Suppose a is
odd. Then a2 = (2k + 1)2 = 4k 2 + 4k + 1 is one bigger than a multiple of 4. Also
b2 = (2l)2 = 4l2 is a multiple of 4.. Thus a2 + b2 is one bigger than a multiple of
4. Checking the table at the back, we see that the next prime of the form 4n + 1
is 229. Finally, 229 = 22 + 152 , so a = 2 and b = 15 and a + b = 17.

22. Two rational numbers r and s are given. The numbers r + s, r s, rs, and s/r are
computed and arranged in order by value to get the list 1/3, 3/4, 4/3, 7/3. What
is the sum of the squares of r and s?

(A) 9/25 (B) 4/9 (C) 9/4 (D) 25/9 (E) 6

Solution: D. Because both rs and r + s are positive, both r and s are positive.
Since r s > 0, it follows that s < r and thus s/r < 1. Thus either s/r = 1/3
or s/r = 3/4. If s/r = 1/3 then 3s = r and r + s = 4s and r s = 2s. In case
s/r = 3/4, then 4s = 3r and r + s = r + 3r/4 = 7r/4 and r s = r 3r/4 = r/4
so r + s = 7(r s). It follows that r + s = 7/3 and r s = 1/3. From this it
follows that r = 4/3, s = 1 and r2 + s2 = 25/9.
An alternate solution starts the same way, with rs and r + s positive, so both r
and s are positive. Thus r > s and s/r < 1. But then r + s > r s, so r + s
must be greater than 1 since only two of the numbers are less than 1. Consider
(r + s)2 = r2 + 2rs + s2 . If r + s = 4/3, then s/r and r s are the two numbers
less than one leaving rs = 7/3. But then the left side is (r + s)2 = 16/9 and the
right side is r2 + 2rs + s2 = 14/3 + r2 + s2 > 14/3 > 16/9, a contradiction. So we
must have r + s = 7/3 and 49/9 = (r + s)2 = r2 + 2rs + s2 r2 + s2 + 8/3. Thus
25/9 r2 + s2 < 49/9 < 6 and therefore the only choice is 25/9.

9
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
23. Suppose x, y, z, and w are real numbers satisfying x/y = 4/7, y/z = 14/3, and
z/w = 3/11. When (x + y + z)/w is written in the form m/n where m and n are
positive integers with no common divisors bigger than 1, what is m + n?

(A) 20 (B) 26 (C) 32 (D) 36 (E) 37

Solution: D. Calculate x/w, y/w and compute the sum. For example, x/w =
4/7 14/3 3/11 = 8/11 and y/w = 14/3 3/11 = 14/11, so (x + y + z)/w =
(8 + 14 + 3)/11 = 25/11. Therefore m + n = 25 + 11 = 36.

24. An integer is randomly selected from the set {100, 101, . . . , 999}. What is the
probability that the sum of its digits is the same as the product of its digits?

(A) 0 (B) 1/900 (C) 1/300 (D) 1/150 (E) 1/100

Solution: D. There are just six such numbers, 123, 132, 213, 231, 312, 321, so the
probability is 6/900 = 1/150.

25. Four positive integers a, b, c and d satisfy abcd = 10!. What is the smallest possible
sum a + b + c + d?

(A) 170 (B) 175 (C) 178 (D) 183 (E) 185

Solution: B. The sum a + b + c + d is smallest when all four numbers are equal.
Then a4 = 10! and a 43.64. Thus a + b + c + d 174.58 Since all four are
integers, a + b + c + d 175. This optimum is obtained for a = 40, b = 42, c = 45,
and d = 48.

26. What is the units digit of the (decimal representations of the) product of all the
prime numbers less than 500?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 5 (E) 6

Solution: A. The product includes the numbers 2 and 5, so it must be a multiple

of 10.

10
UNCC Contest 2005 Algebra
27. In a 10-team baseball league, each team plays each of the other teams 18 times. No
game ends in a tie, and, at the end of the season, each team is the same positive
number of games ahead of the next best team. What is the greatest number of
games that the last place team could have won?

(A) 27 (B) 36 (C) 54 (D) 72 (E) 90

Solution: D. The number of games played is 18(9)10 2

= 810. If n is the number
of wins of the last-place team, and d is the common difference of wins between
successive teams, then n + (n + d) + (n + 2d) + + (n + 9d) = 10n + 45d = 810
so 2n + 9d = 162. Now n is the maximum when d is a minimum (but not zero,
because there are no ties). The smallest integral value of d for which n is integral
is d = 2. Thus n = 72.

List of Primes between 1 and 500:

2 3 5 7 11 13 17 19 23 29
31 37 41 43 47 53 59 61 67 71
73 79 83 89 97 101 103 107 109 113
127 131 137 139 149 151 157 163 167 173
179 181 191 193 197 199 211 223 227 229
233 239 241 251 257 263 269 271 277 281
283 293 307 311 313 317 331 337 347 349
353 359 367 373 379 383 389 397 401 409
419 421 431 433 439 443 449 457 461 463
467 479 487 491 499

11
 UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra
March 6, 2006

1. The name algebra derives its origin from

(A) a middle eastern terrorist organization (B) an insidious green plant

(C) a piece of the female wardrobe (D) evidence of bad dental hygiene
(E) an arabic text on Restoring and Simplification
Solution: E.

2. What is the length of the interval of solutions to the inequality 1 34x 11?

(A) 1.75 (B) 2.00 (C) 2.25 (D) 2.50 (E) 3.25
Solution: D. Subtract 3 from all parts to get 2 4x 8, then divide all
by 4 to get 1/2 x 2, so the length of the interval is 1/2 (2) = 2.50.
r q
3. What is the sum of the digits of the integer solution to 14 + 27 x1=
4?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 9 (E) 11

q
Solution: C. Square both sides to get 14 + 27 x 1 = 16, then massage

it, square again, and solve 27 x 1 = 4 to get x 1 = 529. Thus x = 530
and the sum of the digits is 5 + 3 + 0 = 8.

4. Scott and Adam have some chickens and horses. When asked how many
chickens and horses they had altogether, Adam said, There are a total of 17
heads and 42 feet. I have three times as many chickens as horses. Yes,
replied Scott, and we both have the same number of horses. How many
chickens does Scott have?

(A) 2 (B) 4 (C) 6 (D) 7 (E) 13

Solution: D. Let c and h denote the number of chickens and horses respec-
tively. Then c + h = 17 and 2c + 4h = 42 altogether, so 2c + 4h (2c + 2h) =
2h = 42 34 = 8 which means that h = 4, and c = 13. Since each has 2
horses, Adam has 6 chickens and Scott has the other 7.
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

5. In a box there are red and blue balls. If you select a handful of them with
eyes closed, you have to grab at least 5 of them to make sure at least one of
them is red and you have to grab at least 10 of them to make sure both colors
appear among the balls selected. How many balls are there in the box?

(A) 10 (B) 11 (C) 12 (D) 13 (E) 14

Solution: D. If 5 balls are needed to make sure at least one of them is red,
that means that there are 4 blue balls in the box. If you need 10 to make sure
both colors appear then there are 9 balls of the more used color which must
be red. Therefore there are 9 + 4 = 13 balls in the box.

6. Some hikers start on a walk at 9 a.m. and return at 2 p.m. One quarter of
the distance walked is uphill, one half is level, and one quarter is downhill. If
their speed is 4 miles per hour on level land, 2 miles per hour uphill, and 6
miles per hour downhill, approximately how far did they walk?

(A) 16.4 miles (B) 17.1 miles (C) 18.9 miles

(D) 20.0 miles (E) 21.2 miles

Solution: B. Suppose that they walk 4x miles, so that they walk x miles
uphill, x miles downhill, and 2x level miles. This takes a total time of x2 + x6 + 2x
4
hours. Setting this equal to 5 hours, we find x = 30/7 so that the total distance
is 4x = 120/7 17.1 miles.

7. Suppose a, b, c are integers such that

1. 0 < a < b,
2. The polynomial x(x a)(x b) 17 is divisible by (x c).

What is a + b + c ?

(A) 14 (B) 17 (C) 21 (D) 24 (E) 27

Solution: C. Since it is divisible by (x c), we have

c(c a)(c b) = 17.

Since c(c a)(c b) = 17 > 0, it follows that c > 0 and we have the following
two cases:

2
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

Case 1: 0 < (c b) < (c a) < c

Case 2: (c b) < (c a) < 0 < c.

Since 17 is a prime number, case 1 does not occur. In case 2, c = 1, c a =

1, c b = 17. Hence a = 2, b = 18, c = 1. Thus, a + b + c = 21.

8. Let u and v be the solutions to 2x2 3x + c = 0. If 2uv = 5, find u + v + c.

(A) 1 (B) 1.5 (C) 6.5 (D) 8.5 (E) 10

Solution: C. Note that uv = 2.5 = c/2, so c = 5. We have the equation

2x2 3x + 5 = 0, which we solve to get two solutions, 1 and 2.5. So
u + v + c = 1 + 2.5 + 5 = 6.5.
Alternatively, since u and v are the solutions, 2x2 3x + c = 2(x u)(x
v) = 2x2 2(u + v) + 2uv. Thus 2(u + v) = 3 and c = 2uv = 5. So
u + v + c = 1.5 + 5 = 6.5.

9. Let x, y be positive integers with x > y. If 1/(x + y) + 1/(x y) = 1/3, find

x2 + y 2 .

(A) 52 (B) 58 (C) 65 (D) 73 (E) 80

Solution: E. Write u = x+y and v = xy, then u and v are positive integers
and v < u. Now 1/u + 1/v = 1/3 so 3 < v < 6, so v = 5 or v = 4. If v = 5
then u = 7.5 which is not an integer. If v = 4 then u = 12, so we will have
x = 8, y = 4. Therefore, x2 + y 2 = 64 + 16 = 80.

10. If x and y are integers, under what conditions is x2 + xy + (x y) odd?

(A) x is odd and y is odd (B) x is odd and y is even (C) x is even and y is odd
(D) x is even and y is even (E) The expression is always even

Solution: C. A case by case analysis shows that when x is even and y odd,
xy is even, x2 is even, and x y is odd. Therefore in this case x2 + xy + (x y)
is odd. The other three parity assignments lead to an even integer value.
Alternatively, no matter whether x is even or odd, x2 + x is even. So we are
left with considering xy y = y(x 1). The only way for this to be odd is if
both factors are odd. So x must be even and y must be odd.

3
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

11. In five years Vic will be half as old as his dad. Twenty five years ago he was
1/8 as old as his dad. How old was his dad on the day Vic was born?

(A) 20 (B) 25 (C) 30 (D) 35 (E) 40

Solution: D. Let x denote Vics current age and y Vics dads current age. The
problem information yields the following linear system: x + 5 = (1/2)(y + 5)
and x 25 = (1/8)(y 25). The system can be solved for x = 30, y = 65. So,
Vics dad was 65 30 = 35 on the day Vic was born.
Alternatively, let x be Vics current age and y be Dads current age. In
making equations, convert half to twice and 1/8 to eight times to
get the relations 2(x + 5) = y + 5 and 8(x 25) = y 25. From these,
2x + 5 = 8x 175, so x = 30 and y = 65. Thus Dad was 35 = 65 30 when
Vic was born.

12. A mans salary is reduced by p percent. By what percent would his salary
then have to be raised to bring it back to the original amount?

(A) 2p/(100 p) (B) (p 100)/(100 2p) (C) 100p/(100 p)

(D) p/(p 100) (E) 2p/(p 100)

Solution: C. Let S denote the mans salary and let x denote the required
percent. Then S S(p/100) + x/100[S S(p/100)] = S. This is equivalent to
S(1p/100)+S(x/100xp/10000) = S. So 1p/100+x/100xp/10000 = 1.
Solving for x, we get x = 100p/(100 p).

13. Benny eats a box of cereal in 14 days. He eats the same size box of cereal with
his younger brother Nathan in 10 days. How many days will it take Nathan
to finish the box of cereal alone?

(A) 20 (B) 25 (C) 30 (D) 35 (E) 40

Solution: D. Within 10 14 = 140 days Benny will eat 10 boxes of cereal

alone, while together with Nathan they will eat 140 10 = 14 boxes for the
same time period. That means the share of his brother is 14 10 = 4 boxes
for 140 days. Therefore, Nathan eats one box of cereal for 140 : 4 = 35 days.

4
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

14. Given the following system of equations

1 1 1
+ =
x y 3
1 1 1
+ =
x z 5
1 1 1
+ =
y z 7
What is the value of the ratio yz ?

(A) 17 (B) 23 (C) 29 (D) 31 (E) 36

1 1 1
Solution: C. Add the three equations together to get () 2 x
+ y
+ z
=

1
3
+ + = 35+21+15
1
5
1
7 105
71
= 105 . Then subtract the 2 x1 + y1 = 32 from both sides

to get z2 = 105
71 70
105 1
= 105 , so z = 210. Subtracting 2 x1 + z1 = 52 from both
sides of () yields y2 = 105
71 42
105 29
= 105 , so y = 210
29
. It follows that yz = 210
210 = 29.
29

Alternatively, change variables to u = 1/x, v = 1/y and w = 1/z. Then (using

the new forms) subtract the second equation from the first to get v w = 2/15.
Add this to the third to get v = 29/210. Substitute into the third to get
w = 1/210. Thus z/y = v/w = 29.

15. A two-digit number N is 10 more than 3 times the sum of its digits. The units
digit is 1 more than twice the 10s digit. Find the product of the digits.

(A) 24 (B) 28 (C) 30 (D) 32 (E) 36

Solution: E. Let x and y denote the tens and units position of N . Then
N = 10x + y, 10x + y = 10 + 3(x + y), and y = 2x + 1. Replacing y with
2x + 1 yields 10x + 2x + 1 = 10 + 9x + 3 which reduces to 3x = 12, whence
x = 4 and y = 9.
Alternatively, since the units digit, y, is at most 9 and is 1 more than twice the
tens digit, x, the tens digit must be less than or equal to 4. For N = 10x + y,
the possibilities are 13, 25, 37 and 49. All are 10 more than a multiple of 3, so
next check the first condition: 3(1+3) = 12 6= 1310, 3(2+5) = 21 6= 2510,
3 (3 + 7) = 30 6= 37 10 and 3 (4 + 9) = 39 = 49 10. Thus N = 49, and
the product of its digits is 36.

5
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

16. Let A, B, and C be digits satisfying

AB
+AA
CB2
What is A + B + C?

(A) 10 (B) 11 (C) 12 (D) 13 (E) 14

Solution: D. Clearly C = 1. Expressing the problem in decimal notation, we

have 20A + A + B = 100 + 10B + 2 which is equivalent to 21A 9B = 102. It
follows that A 5. Checking values of A, we find that the only possible value
of A for which 102 21A is a multiple of 9 is A = 7, It follows that B = 5, so
the sum is 7 + 5 + 1 = 13.

17. For how many integer values of n is

3 n 32
< < ?
17 68 51

(A) 28 (B) 29 (C) 30 (D) 32 (E) 34

Solution: C. For positive numbers a, b, c, d, ab < dc if and only if ad < bc,

it follows that 3 17 4 < 17 n and 3 17 n < 32 4 17. Solving these
simultaneously for n yields 13 n 42 which is 30 values.

18. A book has pages numbered starting at 1. The digit 3 is printed 237 times
during page number printing. What is the greatest number of pages the book
could have?

(A) 663 (B) 664 (C) 672 (D) 673 (E) 683

Solution: C. Each decade of numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . , 99; 100, 102, . . . , 199; . . .

900, 902, . . . 999, except the 300 399 decade has exactly 20-3s. The number
of 3 printed on the pages 300 to 399 is 120. Adding these groups of 20, we see
that a 700 page book would have 240 copies of the digit 3 printed. Removing
the last three 3s means the book could not have the pages 693, 683, or 673.
So the largest number of pages it could have is 672.

6
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

19. The odd numbers from 1 to 17 can be used to build a 3 3 magic square (the
rows and columns have the same sum). If the 1, 5, and 13 are as shown, what
is x?

(A) 7 (B) 9 (C) 11 (D) 15 (E) 17

1
5 13
x
Solution: A. The magic sum is 27 because the sum of the first nine odd pos-
itive integers is 92 = 81. This means that we can fill in the 9 and the 17 as
1
shown. 5 9 13
x 17
We can quickly eliminate x = 11 and x = 15. If x = 3, then we would
have to use the 7 in the bottom right square, which would require another 7
in the top right square. Thus x = 7. The complete square is shown below.
15 1 11
5 9 13
7 17 3

20. Let a and b be two different real numbers. The equation (x a)(x b 1) +
(x a)(x b + 1) = 0

(A) has three roots, one of which is x = b (B) has three roots, one of which
is x = a
(C) has three roots, one of which is x = b + 1 (D) has two roots, one of
which is x = b
(E) has two roots, one of which is x = b + 1

Solution: D. Factor and solve to get (x a)((x b 1) + (x b + 1)) =

(x a)(2x 2b) = 0, so the two roots x = a and x = b

7
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

21. Let N denote the two-digit number whose cube root is the square root of the
sum of its digits. How many positive divisors does N have?

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

Solution: C. There are just two two-digit cubes, 27 and 64. Checking each
one shows that 27 satisfies the requirements and 64 does not. The number 27
has 4 divisors.

22. Find the number of odd divisors of 7!.

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 24

Solution: D. The prime factorization of 7! is 24 32 5 7. Each odd factor of

7! is a product of odd prime factors, and there are 3 2 2 = 12 ways to choose
the three exponents.

23. Farmer Browns chickens are unusual. One and a half of them can lay an egg
and a half in a day and a half, on average. At this rate, how many days would
it take all 60 of his chickens to lay 480 eggs?

(A) 8 (B) 10 (C) 12 (D) 14 (E) 20

Solution: C. 3/2 chickens 3/2 days = 3/2 eggs implies that the rate of egg
laying is 2/3 eggs per chicken per day. Letting d denote the number of days
required, we have 60 2/3 d = 480 and it follows from this that d = 12.
Alternatively, doubling the number of chickens, but not the number of days,
will give 3 chickens producing 3 eggs in one and a half days. Doubling the
time to 3 days, the 3 chickens will produce 6 eggs in 3 days. So 60 = 20 3
chickens will produce 20 6 = 120 eggs in 3 days. Thus it will take 12 = 4 3
days for the 60 chickens to produce 480 eggs.
Yet another alternate solution: Since 60 = 403/2, all 60 chickens will produce
40 3/2 = 60 eggs in one and a half days. This is oneeighth of the required
total, so 8 3/2 = 12 is the how long it will take to have 480 eggs.

8
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

24. The radius of the circle given by

x2 6x + y 2 + 4y = 12

is

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 36

Solution: A. Complete the squares by adding 9 and 4 to both sides to get

x2 6x + 9 + y 2 + 4y + 4 = (x 3)2 + (y + 2)2 = 12 + 9 + 4 = 25 = 52 .

So the radius is 5.
Alternate solution: Solve x2 6x = 0 and y 2 + 4y = 0. Obviously the solutions
are x = 0, 6 and y = 0, 4. From this it follows that the center of the circle is
the point (h, k) where h = (0 + 6)/2 = 3 and k = (0 + (4))/2 = 2. One way
to finish: substitute x = 3 (or y = 2) into the equation x2 6x + y 2 + 4y = 12
and solve for y (or x). Have 0 = y 2 + 4y 21 = (y + 7)(y 3), so (3, 7) and
(3, 3) are on the vertical diameter. Thus the diameter is 10 and the radius is
5. OR: use that the standard form for the equation is (x 3)2 + (y + 2)2 = r2
and from this deduce that r2 = 9 + 4 + 12 = 25.

25. The integer-valued numerator of a certain fraction is 10 more than the denom-
inator. If the number that is two larger than the denominator is doubled, the
result is the same as the numerator. In which interval does the value of the
fraction belong?

(A) (0, 1] (B) (1, 2] (C) (2, 3] (D) (3, 4] (E) (4, 5]

Solution: C. Let d and n denote the denominator and numerator respectively.

Then d and n satisfy n = d + 10 and 2(d + 2) = n from which it follows that
d + 10 = 2(d + 2), whence d = 6 and n = 16. So the fraction is 16
6
= 38 .

9
UNC Charlotte 2006 Algebra

26. John was contracted to work A days. For each of these A days that John actu-
ally worked, he received B dollars. For each of these A days that John didnt
work, he had to pay a penalty of C dollars. After the A days of contracted
work was over, John received a net amount of D dollars for his work. How
many of the A days of contracted work did John not work?

(A) (AB D)/(B + C) (B) (AB + D)/(B + C) (C) (AB D)/(B C)

(D) (AB + D)/(B C) (E) (AC B)/(D C)
Solution: A. Let x denote the number of days John did not work. Then he
worked A x days and so earned B(A x) Cx = D dollars. Solving this for
x, we get (B + C)x = D AB and so x = (AB D)/(B + C). Taken from
Horatio Nelson Robinsons 1859 book A Theoretical and Practical Treatise
on Algebra, with thanks to Dave Renfro.
27. Let N denote the 180-digit number obtained by listing the 90 two-digit num-
bers from 10 to 99 in order. Thus N = 10111213 . . . 99. What is the remainder
when N is divided by 99?

(A) 0 (B) 10 (C) 45 (D) 54 (E) 90

Solution: D. Let U denote the sum of the 90 units digits and T the sum
of the 90 tens digits. Thus U = 0 + 1 + 2 + + 9 + + 9 = 405 and
T = 1 + 1 + + 1 + 2 + 2 + + 9 + 9 + + 9 = 450 = U + 45. Since
99 = 911, we ask the two questions What is the remainder when N is divided
by 11 and What is the remainder when N is divided by 9. The divisibility
test for 11 tells us that the remainder when a number N is divided by 11 is the
same as when the alternating sum of the digits of N is divided by 11. That
alternating sum is U T = 45, and the remainder when 45 = 5(11) + 10
is divided by 11 is 10. The remainder when N is divided by 9 is the same
as the remainder when the sum of digits of N is divided by 9. This sum of
digits is U + T = 9 45 + 9 50 = 9 95 which is a multiple of 9. So far we
know that there are integers p and q such that N = 9p (N is a multiple of
9) and N = 11q + 10 (when N is divided by 11, the remainder is 10). Let r
be the remainder when N is divided by 99. Then there is an integer k such
that N = 99k + r. Now N/9 = 11k + r/9 = p shows r is a multiple of 9.
Furthermore N/11 = 9k + r/11 = q + 10/11 shows r = 11(q 9k) + 10 shows
r is 10 more than a multiple of 11. The only number in the range 0 to 98 that
is both a multiple of 9 and 10 bigger than a multiple of 11 is 54.

10
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

March 5, 2007

1. We randomly select 4 prime numbers without replacement from the first 10

prime numbers. What is the probability that the sum of the four selected
numbers is odd?

(A) 0.21 (B) 0.30 (C) 0.36 (D) 0.40 (E) 0.50

Solution: D. The event happens precisely when9 the

10number 2 is one of the
987 4321
primes selected. This occurs with probability 3 4 = 321 10987 = 0.40.

2. What is the area (in square units) of the region in the first quadrant defined
by 18 x + y 20?

(A) 36 (B) 38 (C) 40 (D) 42 (E) 44

Solution: B. In the first quadrant, the inequalities x + y 20 and x + y 18

define similar right triangles with areas 202 /2 and 182 /2. The area of the
region in question is therefore (202 182 ) 2 = 38 square units.
Alternatively, we canalso find the
area as the area of a trapezoid. The parallel
sides have lengths
20 2
and 18 2 and the height of the trapezoid is 2. Thus
the area is (38 2/2) 2 = 38.

3. How many four-digit numbers between 6000 and 7000 are there for which the
thousands digits equal the sum of the other three digits?

(A) 20 (B) 22 (C) 24 (D) 26 (E) 28

Solution: E. The question is equivalent to how many three digit numbers

abc (0 allowed as the hundreds digit) satisfy a + b + c = 6. When a = 6, there
is only one way to do this: b = c = 0. When a = 5, there are two ways: either
b = 1 and c = 0 or c = 1 and b = 0. When a = 4, there are three ways:
(b, c) = (0, 2), (1, 1), or (2, 0). Continuing in this way, we find that there are
1 + 2 + 3 + . . . + 7 = 28 ways to build the number.
Alternatively, there are three ways to choose three different digits that sum to
6: 1 + 2 + 3, 0 + 2 + 4 and 0 + 1 + 5. Since the order counts, this gives 18 ways.
There are three ways to choose two digits the same and a different third digit:
1 + 1 + 4, 0 + 3 + 3 and 0 + 0 + 6. Since two of the digits are the same, there
are 9 ways of ordering these. Finally, there is one sum, 2 + 2 + 2, where all
three digits are the same. So the total number of ways is 18 + 9 + 1 = 28.

1
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

4. How many positive two-digit integers have an odd number of positive divisors?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: D. Since each divisor d of a number D can be paired with a divisor

D/d, only the perfect squares can have an odd number of divisors. There are
6 perfect squares between 10 and 99.

5. If x is positive, what is the least value of x + x9 ?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 6

Solution: E. Note: x+ x9 = x1 (x2 +9) = x1 (x2 6x+9)+6 = x1 (x3)2 +6 6.

6. The area of an annular region bounded by two concentric circles is 5 square

centimeters. The difference between the radii of the circles is one centimeter.
What is the radius of the smaller circle, in centimeters?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 6

Solution: B. If r is the radius of the smaller circle, the area of the annular
region is (r + 1)2 r2 = (2r + 1). The solution of the equation 2r + 1 = 5
is r = 2.
Alternatively, let s be the radius of the larger circle Then 5 = s2 r2 =
(s r)(s + r). Since s r = 1, s + r = 5. So s = 3 and r = 2.

7. If we divide 344 by d the remainder is 3, and if we divide 715 by d the remainder

is 2. Which of the following is true about d?

(A) 10 d 19 (B) 20 d 29 (C) 30 d 39

(D) 40 d 49 (E) 50 d 59

Solution: C. The number d divides 341 = 11 31 and 713 = 23 31. The only
common divisors are 1 and 31. Since we get nonzero remainders, d = 31.

2
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

8. The sum a + b, the product a b and the difference of squares a2 b2 of two

positive numbers a and b is the same nonzero number. What is b?

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

Solution: B. Since a + b = a2 b2 = (a + b) (a b), dividing both sides by

a + b 6= 0 yields 1 = a b, so a = b + 1. Substituting this into a + b = a b we
get 2b + 1 = (b + 1) b. The only positive solution of this quadratic equation is

1+ 5
b= .
2

9. It takes Amy and Bill 15 hours to paint a house, it takes Bill and Chandra 20
hours, and it takes Chandra and Amy 30 hours. How long will it take if all
three work together?

(A) 9 hours and 40 minutes (B) 10 hours (C) 12 hours

(D) 13 hours and 20 min (E) 14 hours

Solution: D. If Amy, Bill and Chandra can paint a whole house at a rate
of 1/a, 1/b, and 1/c of the house per hour, respectively, then 1/a + 1/b =
1/15, 1/b + 1/c = 1/20, and 1/c + 1/a = 1/30. When all three work together,
they can paint at a rate of (1/a +1/b+ 1/c) = 1/2(1/15 +1/20+1/30) = 3/40.
So it will take 40/3 hours, that is, 13 hours 20 min.
Alternatively, let A be the rate Amy paints, B be the rate bill paints and C be
the rate Chandra paints. Then 15A + 15B = 1 house, 20B + 20C = 1 house
and 30A + 30C = 1 house. So A + B = 1/15, B + C = 1/20 and A + C = 1/30.
Thus 2(A+B +C) = (A+B)+(B +C)+(A+C) = 1/15+1/20+1/30 = 3/20.
Therefore (40/3)(A + B + C) = 1 house. So the time required is 40/3 hours
or 13 hours and 20 minutes.

10. Maya deposited 1000 dollars at 6% interest compounded annually. What is

the number of dollars in the account after four years?

(A) $1258.47 (B) $1260.18 (C) $1262.48

(D) $1263.76 (E) $1264.87

Solution: C. The amount in the account is given by A = P (1 + r/n)nt , where

P is the principal, r is the annual rate, n is the number of times per year that
interest is compounded, and t is the time in years. Therefore, the amount in
the account after four years is 1000(1 + .06/1)4 1262.48.

3
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

11. A peddler is taking eggs to the market to sell. The eggs are in a cart that
holds up to 500 eggs. If the eggs are removed from the cart either 2, 3, 4, 5, or
6 at a time, one egg is always left over. If the eggs are removed 7 at a time,
no eggs are left over. Let n denote the number of eggs in the cart. Which of
the following is true about n?

(A) n [1, 100] (B) n [101, 200] (C) n [201, 300]

(D) n [301, 400] (E) n [401, 500]

Solution: D. The first few facts can be interpreted as saying n = 4i + 1, n =

5j + 1 and n = 6k + 1, where i, j and k are integers. This means that n 1
must be a multiple of 4, 5, and 6. Thus n 1 = 60m for some integer m. But
n is a multiple of 7 also. Dividing each of 61, 121, 181, 241, 301 by 7, we finally
find that 301 is a multiple of 7.

12. An athlete covers three consecutive miles by swimming the first, running the
second and cycling the third. He runs twice as fast as he swims and cycles
one and a half times as fast as he runs. He takes ten minutes longer than he
would if he cycled the whole three miles. How many minutes does he take?

(A) 16 (B) 22 (C) 30 (D) 46 (E) 70

Solution: B. Let S denote the time in hours required to swim a mile. Then
the time required to run a mile is S2 , and the time needed to cycle a mile is S3 .
It follows that S + 12 S + 13 S 16 = 3( 31 S), so S = 15 , and S + 12 S + 13 S = 11
6 5
1 11
= 30
hours, which is 22 minutes.
Alternatively, let s be the swimming speed, r the running speed and c the
cycling speed in miles per minute. Then his total time for the three miles is
t = (1/s) + (1/r) + (1/c) = 10 + (3/c). Also, r = 2s and c = 1.5r. So c = 3s,
1/s = 3/c and 1/r = 3/2c. Subbing in yields 5/2c = 10 and 1/c = 4. So the
total time is 10 + 3(4) = 22 minutes.

13. How many 5-digit numbers can be built using the digits 1, 2, and 3 if each
digit must be used at least once?

(A) 60 (B) 90 (C) 120 (D) 150 (E) 243

Solution: D. There are two patterns 1 1 3, where we use one digit three
3 5
times, and 2 2 1, where we use two 3 digits
4twice. There are 1 2 2 =
3 10 2 = 60 in the first group, and + 1 5 2 = 3 5 6 = 90 in the second
group for a total of 60 + 90 = 150.

4
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

14. What is the fewest crickets that must hop to new locations so that each row
and each column has three crickets? Crickets can jump from any square to
any other square.

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Solution: C. Notice that two rows have four crickets, so at least two crickets
must move. The pair of crickets at (1, 5) and (2, 4) on the main diagonal can
be moved to (5, 3) and (5, 1) as shown.

15. How many real number solutions does the equation 5 x = 6 x have?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) None of these

Solution: B. Squaring both sides and simplifying gives x2 37x + 36 =

(x 36(x 1) = 0. So there are two solutions, x = 36 and x = 1. However,
checking for extraneous roots, only x = 1 satisfies the original equation.

5
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

16. A quadrilateral ABCD has vertices with coordinates A (0, 0), B (6, 0), C (5, 4), D (3, 6).
What is its area?

(A) 18 (B) 19 (C) 20 (D) 21 (E) 22

Solution: D. The point E = (2, 4) lies on AD. The line segment from (2, 4) to
(5, 4) divides the quadrilateral into a trapezoid with area 6+3 2
4 and a trian-
1
gle with area 2 (3)(2). The total area is 21.
... D.....
.. . ........
.....C
E... ..
.. ...
.. ...
.. . ...
...
.. ..
.
A B

17. Let A be the area of a triangle with sides 5, 5, and 8, and let B denote the
area of a triangle with sides 5, 5, and 6. Which of the following statements is
true?

(A) A < B < 12 (B) B < A < 12 (C) A = B

(D) 12 < A < B (E) 12 < B < A

Solution: C. Each triangle has area 12. To see this, construct for each trian-
gle the altitude to the even length side and use the Pythagorean Theorem.

.....
........... .
..... .......
5...
........ ............ ..
5......
....
..
..... 3 .......... 4 .......
..
....... ....... .
... ....
...
. . ...
4 3

6
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

18. In a course Leadership in Mathematics there are several tests. Each test is
worth 100 points. After the last test John realized that if he had received 97
points for the last test, his average score for the course would have been a 90,
and that if he had made a 73, his average score would have been an 87. How
many tests are there in the course?

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

Solution: E. Denote by N the number of tests in the course and by S the

sum of Johns scores for all but the last test. Then we can write the following
system of equations:
S + 97
= 90
N
S + 73
= 87
N
Solving this system for N we obtain N = 8.
Alternatively, Since the difference in the averages is 3 and the difference in the
last tests is 24, 3 = 24/N where n is the total number of exams. So N = 8.

19. There are four consecutive integers such that the sum of the cubes of the first
three numbers equals the cube of the fourth number. Find the sum of the four
numbers.

(A) 12 (B) 16 (C) 18 (D) 22 (E) 24

Solution: C. The sum of four consecutive numbers a + a + 1 + a + 2 + a + 3 =

4a + 6, which is 6 bigger, hence 2 bigger, than a multiple of 4. Among the
options, only 18 and 22 satisfy this requirement. Thus we need only check to
see if 33 + 43 + 53 = 63 or 43 + 53 + 63 = 73 . The former holds, so the answer
is 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 18.
Alternatively, denote the smallest by n 1. Then (n 1)3 + n3 + (n + 1)3 =
(n + 2)3 . Expand and combine terms to have first n3 3n2 + 3n 1 + n3 + n3 +
3n2 +3n+1 = n3 +6n2 +12n+8, then 2n3 6n2 6n8 = 2(n4)(n2 +n+1).
So n = 4 and the numbers are 3, 4, 5 and 6 with sum 18.

7
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

20. Which of following statements is true about the equation |x2 2x 3| = x + 2?

(A) There are no solutions. (B) There is only one solution.

(C) There are exactly two solutions. (D) There are exactly three solutions.
(E) There are exactly four solutions.

Solution: E. Draw two graphs of y = |x2 2x 3| and y = x + 2, and count

the number of intersection points of the graphs. Alternatively, square both
sides of the equation to get (x2 2x 3)2 (x + 2)2 = 0, and factor it to get
(x2 x 1)(x2 3x 5) = 0. Each quadratic equation has two real solutions,
and therefore the equation has four real solutions. Checking to be sure that
there are no extraneous roots, we find that there are indeed four solutions.

21. Let a, b, c 2 be natural numbers and

c
a(b ) = (ab )c ?

Which one(s) of a, b, c can have arbitrary values.

(A) a (B) b (C) c (D) both a and b (E) all three

Solution: A. The given equation is equivalent to bc = bc with a arbitrary.

Thus
bc1 = c
With natural b, c 2, one solution is b = c = 2, but a 2 is arbitrary.

22. Suppose log8 a + log8 b = log8 a log8 b and loga b = 3. What is the value of a?

(A) 9 (B) b3 (C) 16

(D) 32 (E) There is not enough information to answer

Solution: C. If loga b = 3, then (log8 b)/(log8 a) = 3 by the base conversion

property of logs. Simplifying gives (log8 b) = 3(log8 a). By substitution into
the original equation, log8 a + 3 log8 a = 3(log8 a)2 . So 4 log8 a = 3(log8 a)2 .
Since log8 a is non-zero, dividing both sides by log8 a gives 4 = 3(log8 a) and
4/3 = log8 a. Solving for a gives a = 8(4/3) = 24 = 16.

8
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

23. A movie was so awful that one-half of the audience left after a few minutes.
Five minutes later, one-third of the remaining audience left. Ten minutes later,
one-fourth of those remaining left, leaving only nine people in the audience.
Let N denote the number of people in the audience at the beginning of the
movie? Then

(A) N [1, 20] (B) N [21, 30] (C) N [31, 40]

(D) N [41, 50] (E) N > 50

Solution: C. Nine people were three-fourths of the audience before the last
people left, so before the last exit, twelve people were in the audience. Those
twelve people were two-thirds of the people after the first exit, so eighteen
people were present after the first exit. Those eighteen were one-half of the
total audience, so the movie began with an attendance of 36. Alternatively,
the number left at the end is (N 12 )( 23 )( 34 ) = 9 which reduces to 14 N = 9, so
N = 36.

24. The four angles of a quadrilateral are in arithmetic progression and the largest
is twice the smallest. What is the largest angle?

(A) 60 (B) 90 (C) 100 (D) 120 (E) 140

Solution: D. If the angles are denoted a, b, c, and d, respectively, then a +

a + e + a + 2e + a + 3e = 360, where e is the common difference. It is given
that a + 3e = 2a, which reduces to a = 3e. Using this with the equation above
yields e = 20 from which it follows that a = 60, b = 80, c = 100, and d = 120.

9
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

25. The sum of three numbers is 155. The same number k is obtained using any
of the three operations below:

a. Seven is added to the smallest number.

b. Seven is subtracted from the middle number.
c. The largest number is divided by 3.

How much greater is the largest than the smallest?

(A) 57 (B) 63 (C) 65 (D) 67 (E) 69

Solution: E. If a, b, and c are the numbers in increasing order, then a + 7 =
b7 = c3, b = a+14, c = 3a+21, and it follows that a+a+14+3a+21 = 155.
This yields 5a + 35 = 155 or a = 24. Then b = 38 and c = 93, so the difference
is 93 24 = 69.
Alternatively, using a < b < c, a + 7 = b 7 = c/3. Thus a + b = (a + 7) +
(b 7) = 2c/3. Therefore, 155 = a + b + c = 5c/3 and we obtain c = 93 and
from this c a = c (c/3 7) = 2c/3 + 7 = 69.

26. A standard deck of 52 cards has four suits, clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.
Each suit has 13 values including ace, two, three, ..., ten, and three face cards,
Jack, Queen, and King. What is the fewest number of cards that must be
selected from a deck to guarantee that the set contains three-of-a-kind; that
is, three cards of the same value?

(A) 15 (B) 18 (C) 20 (D) 25 (E) 27

Solution: E. You must draw 27 cards to be sure to get a three-of-a-kind
because the first 26 cards you select might consist of 13 pairs.

27. Let N = abcde denote the five digit number with digits a, b, c, d, e and a =
6 0.
0 0
Let N = edcba denote the reverse of N . Suppose that N > N and that
N N 0 = 5x014 where x is a digit. What is x?

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

Solution: E. The sum of the digits of N is the same as the sum of the digits of
N 0 , so N N 0 is a multiple of 9. Thus, the remainder when 5+x+1+4 = 10+x
is divided by 9 is zero, ie, x = 8.
Alternatively, since N N 0 > 0 and the units digit of N N 0 is not 0 (or
because the difference is another 5 digit number), e < a. Combining this
with the fact that the middle digit of N N 0 is 0, implies d 1 b and so
d 1 b = 1. Thus d b = 2 and therefore 10 + b d = 8 = x. The original
number could have been 74261, for example, since 74261 16247 = 58014.

10
UNC Charlotte 2007 Algebra

28. A sequence of three real numbers forms an arithmetic progression with a first
term of 9. If 2 is added to the second term and 20 is added to the third
term, the three resulting numbers form a geometric progression. What is the
smallest possible value for the third term of the geometric progression?

(A) 1 (B) 4 (C) 36 (D) 49 (E) 81

Solution: A. The terms of the arithmetic progression are 9, 9 + d, and 9 + 2d

for some real number d. The terms of the geometric progression are 9, 11 + d,
and 29 + 2d. Therefore

(11 + d)2 = 9(29 + 2d) so d2 + 4d 140 = 0.

Thus d = 10 or d = 14. The corresponding geometric progressions are 9,

21, 49 and 9, 3, 1, so the smallest possible value for the third term of the
geometric progression is 1.

29. Betty has 6 daughters and no sons. Some of her daughters have 6 daughters,
and the rest have none. Betty has a total of 30 daughters and granddaughters,
and no great-granddaughters. How many of Bettys daughters and grand-
daughters have no daughters?

(A) 24 (B) 25 (C) 26 (D) 27 (E) 28

Solution: C. Betty has 30 6 = 24 granddaughters, none of whom have

any daughters. The granddaughters are the children of 24/6 = 4 of Bettys
daughters, so the number of women having no daughters is 30 4 = 26.

30. How many digits are required to represent the number 20072007 in decimal
form?

(A) 6628 (B) 6629 (C) 6630 (D) 6631 (E) 7321

Solution: B. The one digit numbers, 1 through 9, all have common logarithm
value in the interval [0, 1). Two digit numbers have common logarithm value
between 1 and 2. In general, for a positive integer N , N has k + 1 digits if the
common logarithm of N satisfies k log N < k + 1). Since log(20072007 ) =
2007 log(2007) = 6628.2125 . . ., it follows that 20072007 has 6629 digits.

11
 UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra
March 3, 2008

1. The sum of all divisors of 2008 is

(A) 8 (B) 1771 (C) 1772 (D) 3765 (E) 3780
3
Solution: E. The prime factorization is 2008 = 2 251, which has the divisors
1, 2, 4, 8 and 1 251, 2 251, 4 251, 8 151. Their sum is 15 252 = 3780.
2. From the list of all natural numbers 2, 3, . . . 999, delete nine sublists as follows.
First, delete all even numbers except 2, then all multiples of 3 except 3, then all
multiples of 5 except 5, and so on, for the nine primes 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23.
Find the sum of the composite numbers left is the remaining list.
(A) 0 (B) 899 (C) 961 (D) 2701 (E) 3062
Solution: D. The composite numbers left have all prime factors at least 29.
There are three of them less than 1000: 29 29 = 841, 29 31 = 899 and
31 31 = 961, with the sum 841 + 899 + 961 = 2701.
3. The polynomial P (x) = (x6 1)(x 1) (x3 1)(x2 1) has potentially 7
real zeros. Which of the following is a zero of multiplicity greater than 1?
(A) 2 (B) 1 (C) 0 (D) 1 (E) 2
Solution: D. One can factor the polynomial as (x6 1)(x 1) (x3 1)(x2
1) = (x3 1)(x3 + 1)(x 1) (x3 1)(x 1)(x + 1) = (x3 1)(x 1)[(x3 + 1)
(x+1)] = (x1)(x2 +x+1)(x1)x(x1)(x+1) = x(x1)3 (x+1)(x2 +x+1)
Hence x = 1 is the only multiple zero.
4. New York City and Washington D.C. are about 240 miles apart. A car leaves
New York City at noon traveling directly south toward Washington D.C. at
55 miles per hour. At the same time and along the same route, a second car
leaves Washington D.C. bound for New York City traveling directly north at
45 miles per hour. How far has the car which left New York City traveled
when the drivers meet for lunch at 2:24 P.M.?
(A) 128 miles (B) 130 miles (C) 131 miles (D) 132 miles (E)
134 miles
Solution: D. When the two cars meet they will have traveled a total of
240 miles in the time 240 (55 + 45) = 2.4 hours. The faster car travels
55 2.4 = 132 miles during this time.
5. Suppose x + 1/y = 1.5 and y + 1/x = 3. What is x y?
(A) 0.2 (B) 0.3 (C) 0.4 (D) 0.5 (E) 1.2
Solution: D. We have xy + 1 = 1.5y and xy + 1 = 3x. So, y = 2x. It follows
from this that x y = 0.5.
6. If x + y + z = 7 and x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 21, what is xy + yz + zx.
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

7. During a rebuilding project by contractors A, B, and C, there was a shortage

of tractors. The contractors lent each other tractors as needed. At first, A
lent B and C as many tractors as they each already had. A few months later,
B lent A and C as many as they each already had. Still later, C lent A and B
as many as they each already had. By then each contractor had 24 tractors.
How many tractors did contractor A originally have?

(A) 21 (B) 24 (C) 30 (D) 33 (E) 39

Solution: E. A had 39, B had 21, and C had 12 originally. To see this
first note that there are 72 tractors at the end. Letting a, b and c denote the
number of tractors each of A, B and C had originally, respectively, it follows
that a + b + c = 72. After the first exchange, A had a b c tractors, and after
the second, he has 2(a b c), then after the third, he had 4(a b c), which
we are told, is 24. This means a b c = 6. Together with a + b + c = 72, it
follows that 2a = 78 and a = 39. From this it is not hard to see that b = 21
and c = 12.

2
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

8. In a school of 20 teachers, 10 teach Humanities, 8 teach Social Studies and 6

teach Sciences; 2 teach Humanities and Social Studies, but none teach Social
Studies and Sciences. How many teach Humanities and Sciences?

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

Solution: A. Let H, SS, and S denote the sets of teachers of Humanities,

Social Science and Science, respectively, as shown below. Letting x denote the
number of teachers of both Humanities and Science, it follows that 10 + 8 +
6 2 x = 20 from which it follows that x = 2.

.......................................................................
....... .. .....
.... .... ..... ...
.... .. .. ..... ...
...
... 8 x ... ...
H ... ... 2 ... 6 .. SS
.
... ... .. ...
... ... . ..
.... ..... . ... ....................... .
..
...... . . ..
......... ........x ..........0................0 ......... .............
.................. ...................
...
.. ...
... ..
... 6x .
... ...
... .
....
...... .
. ...
.......... .....
......................
S

9. A certain integer N has exactly eight factors, counting itself and 1. The
numbers 35 and 77 are two of the factors. What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 16 (D) 18 (E) 20

Solution: C. The divisors include 5, 7, and 11. But 5 7 11 = 385 already

has 8 divisors.

3
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

10. Suppose that x and y are positive real numbers that satisfy the equations
x2 + xy + y 2 = 7 and 3x + y = 3. Find y 4x.

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

Solution: B. Solving the second equation for y, we get y = 33x. Substituting

this result into the first equation, we find x2 + x (3 3x) + (3 3x)2 = 7. This
is equivalent to 7x2 15x + 2 = (7x 1) (x 2) = 0. Thus, x = 2 or x =
1/7. Since y = 3 3x, we obtain y = 3 or y = 18/7 respectively.
Because x, y 0, we conclude x = 1/7 and y = 18/7. Therefor y 4x = 2.

11. Suppose a, b, and c are integers satisfying

a + b2 + 2ac = 22
b + c2 + 2ab = 36
c + a2 + 2bc = 2

What is a + b + c?

(A) 6 (B) 2 (C) 4 (D) 7 (E) 9

Solution: D. Add the three equations and note that a + b + c + (a + b + c)2 =

22 + 36 2 = 56, so a + b + c must be 7.

12. Two points A and B are 4 units apart are given in the plane. How many lines
in the plane containing A and B are 2 units from A and 3 units from B?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Solution: C. In order that a line be 2 units from A, it must be tangent to the

circle of radius 2 about the point A and similarly for B. The circles of radius
2 about A and radius 3 about B intersect, so there are just two lines tangent
to both circles.

4
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

13. The number of real solutions of the equation |x 2| + |x 3| = 3 is

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

Solution: B. There are just two solutions, x = 1 and x = 4. Well condition

on three inequalities. If x < 2, then |x 2| = 2 x and |x 3| = 3 x, in
which case we have 2 x + 3 x = 3 or 2x = 2, so x = 1. If 2 x 3,
then |x2| = x2 and |x3| = 3x, in which case we have x2+3x = 3,
which is impossible. Finally, if 3 < x, then |x 2| = x 2 and |x 3| = x 3,
in which case we have x 2 + x 3 = 3 or 2x = 8, so x = 4.

14. The numbers 1 a, b, c, d, e 2008 are randomly chosen integers (repetition

is allowed). What is the probability that abc + de is even?

(A) 1/2 (B) 1/4 (C) 11/16 (D) 7/16 (E) 21/32

Solution: C. Each of a, b, c, d, e is even or odd with probability 1/2. The

expression abc+de is even if either both of abc and de are odd, or both are even.
The probability that abc is odd is 1/8, the probability that de is odd is 1/4.
The probability that abc is even is 7/8, the probability that de is even is 3/4. So
the probability that abc+de is even is 1/81/4+7/83/4 = 22/32 = 11/16.

15. On a fence are sparrows and pigeons. When five sparrows leave, there remain
two pigeons for every sparrow. After that twenty-five pigeons leave, and the
ratio of sparrows to pigeons becomes three to one. Find the original number
of birds.

(A) 44 (B) 48 (C) 50 (D) 54 (E) 60

Solution: C. Let p denote the number of pigeons and s the number of spar-
rows. Then p/(s 5) = 2 and (s 5)/(p 25) = 3. Solve these two equations
simultaneously to get s = 20 sparrows and p = 30 pigeons, so the original
number of birds is 50.

5
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

16. Suppose a and b are digits satisfying 1 < a < b < 8. Also, the sum 1111 +
111a + 111b + of the smallest eight four-digit numbers that use only the
digits {1, a, b, 8} is 8994. What is a + b?

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

Solution: C. The eight smallest numbers are 1111, 111a, 111b, 1118, 11a1, 11aa, 11ab
and 11a8. Their sum is 8858 + 42a + 2b = 8994, so 42a + 2b = 136 from which
it follows that 21a + b = 68. From this we can reason that a must be 3, and
that b must be 5, so a + b = 8.

17. At one of mayor Pat McCrorys parties, each man shook hands with everyone
except his spouse, and no handshakes took place between women. If 13 married
couples attended, how many handshakes were there among these 26 people?

(A) 78 (B) 185 (C) 234 (D) 312 (E) 325

Solution: C. Each man shakes hands  with all women but his wife, which gives
13*12 handshakes. There are also 13 2
= (13 12)/2 handshakes between men;
totally, there are (13 12) (3/2) = 234 handshakes.

18. On a die, 1 and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4 appear on opposite faces. When 2 dice are
thrown, multiply the numbers appearing on the top and bottom faces of the
dice as follows:

(a) number on top face of 1st die number on top face of 2nd die
(b) number on top face of 1st die number on bottom face of 2nd die
(c) number on bottom face of 1st die number on top face of 2nd die
(d) number on bottom face of 1st die number on bottom face of 2nd die.

6
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

What can be said about the sum S of these 4 products?

(A) The value of S depends on luck and its expected value is 48

(B) The value of S depends on luck and its expected value is 49
(C) The value of S depends on luck and its expected value is 50
(D) The value of S is 49
(E) The value of S is 50

Solution: D. Suppose U and B are the up and bottom on the first die and
u and b for the second. Then the sum S equals U u + U b + Bu + Bb =
(U + B)(u + b) = 7 7 = 49.

19. During recess, one of five pupils wrote something nasty on the chalkboard.
When questioned by the class teacher, the following ensured:

A : It was B or C.
B : Neither E nor I did it.
C : You are both lying.
D : No, either A or B is telling the truth.
E : No, D, that is not true.

The class teacher knows that three of them never lie while the other two cannot
be trusted. Who was the culprit?

(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D (E) E

Solution: C. If Ds statement is false, then both A and B are also lying, which
would mean that we have three liars, and that is impossible. So Ds statement
is true and therefore Es statement is false. Since Cs statement is also false, it
must be that A, B and D are honest. But A says it was B or C and B denies
it, so only C is left.

7
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

20. How many distinct real number solutions does (3x2 + 2x)2 = (x2 + 2x + 1)2
have?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Solution: D. Using the formula a2 b2 = (a b)(a + b) we obtain:

(3x2 + 2x)2 (x2 + 2x + 1)2 = (2x2 1)(4x2 + 4x + 1) = (2x2 1)(2x + 1)2 ,

so the only zeros of this polynomial are 1/ 2 and 1. So there are a total
of 3 real solutions.

21. Let N be the largest 7-digit number that can be constructed using each of the
digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 such that the sum of each two consecutive digits is
a prime number. What is the reminder when N is divided by 7?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Solution: E. The number is N = 7652341, which is constructed from left to

right. The reminder is 4.

22. For how many n in {1, 2, 3, . . . , 100} is the tens digit of n2 odd?

(A) 16 (B) 17 (C) 18 (D) 19 (E) 20

Solution: E. There are 2 in each decile, 10a + 4 and 10a + 6. The tens digit
of (10a + 4)2 = 100a2 + 80a + 16 is the units digit of 8a + 1, while the tens
digit of (10a + 6)2 = 100a2 + 120a + 36 is the units digit of 2a + 3, both of
which are odd for any integer a. All the other tens digits of perfect squares
are even: (10a + b)2 = 100a2 + 20a + b2 , the tens digit of which is the tens
digit of 2a + b2 , which is even if the tens digit of b2 is even. But the tens digit
of b2 is even if b 6= 4, b 6= 6.

8
UNC Charlotte 2008 Algebra

23. How many pairs of positive integers (a, b) with a + b 100 satisfy

a + b1
= 13?
a1 + b

(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 7

Solution: E. Multiplying the given equality a + b1 = 13(b + a1 ) by ab we

obtain: a(ab + 1) = 13b(ab + 1), or (a 13b)(ab + 1) = 0. Since ab + 1 > 0, the
given equation is equivalent to a = 13b. The inequality a+b 100 means that
14b 100; therefore, the possible values of the positive integer b are 1, 2, . . . , 7,
and there are 7 solutions: (13, 1), (26, 2), . . . , (91, 7).

24. The numbers 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 are arranged in a multiplication table, with three
along the top and the other three down the column. The multiplication table
is completed and the sum of the nine entries is tabulated. What is the largest
possible sum obtainable.

(A) 902 (B) 940 (C) 950 (D) 980 (E) 986

a b c
d
e
f
Solution: D. The sum is (a + b + c) (d + e + f ) which is as large as possible
when the two factors a + b + c and c + d + e are as close together as possible
(given that the sum is constant(63)). We must pair the 1 and the 2 with 32
to get 35 28 = 980.

9
 UNC Charlotte Algebra Competition
March 9, 2009

1. If the operation is defined by x y = 3y + y x , then 2 5 =

(A) 10 (B) 10 (C) 40 (D) 26 (E) None of these
Solution: C. The solution is found by direct substitution.
2. The average of two numbers is xy. If one number is equal to x, then the other
number is equal to
(A) y (B) 2y (C) xy x (D) 2xy x (E) None of these
x+N
Solution: D. Let the number be N . Then we must have 2
= xy. Solving
for N , we have N = 2xy x.
3. The product of three consecutive positive integers is 33 times the sum of the
three integers. What is the product?
(A) 330 (B) 660 (C) 990 (D) 1120 (E) None of these
Solution: C. Let x be the first integer. Then x(x + 1)(x + 2) = 33(3x + 3).
Then by division, x(x + 2) = 33 3 = 99 since x + 1 is not zero. Now
x2 + 2x 99 = 0 has solutions x = 9, 11. Since x is positive, the product of
the integers is 9 10 11 = 990.
4. Which of the following statements is false.
A The sum of 3 consecutive integers is always divisible by 3.
B The sum of 4 consecutive integers is always divisible by 4.
C The sum of 5 consecutive integers is always divisible by 5.
D The sum of 2005 consecutive integers is always divisible by 2005.
E None of the above.
Solution: B. Note that A, C, and D all involve an odd number of consecu-
tive integers. There only needs to be a single counter-example to show B is
false. A counter example is found by examining the special case of the first 4
consecutive integers, which yields a sum of 45
2
= 10.
5. The line through the points (m, 9) and (7, m) has slope m. What is the value
of m?
7
(A) 3 (B) (C) 16 (D) 5 (E) None of these
9
Solution: A. By the definition of slope we have m = m+9
7m
, which has solution
m = 3.
UNC Charlotte 2009 Algebra

6. Let x denote the smallest positive integer satisfying 12x = 25y 2 for some
positive integer y. What is x + y?

(A) 75 (B) 79 (C) 81 (D) 83 (E) 88

Solution: C. Note that 25y 2 = (5y)2 so 12x = 22 3x must be a perfect square

multiple of 5. The smallest integer 3x is 32 52 , so x = 3 52 and in this case
y = 6. Thus x + y = 81.

7. College freshman Peter has an abundance of socks. He has 15 pairs, 5 each of

brown, blue and black. Sadly, he does not store them in pairs, and when he
reaches for socks, he grabs them sight unseen. What is the fewest number of
socks Peter must choose in order to be sure to get at least two different color
matching pairs?

(A) 7 (B) 10 (C) 12 (D) 13 (E) 15

Solution: D. The worst case is that he first chooses all 10 of one color and
one each two other colors. So, on the 13th pick, there must two different color
pairs.

8. The ratio of 2x + y to 2y + x is 5 to 4. What is the ratio of x + 3y to 3x + y?

(A) 3 : 5 (B) 5 : 7 (C) 7 : 9 (D) 9 : 11 (E) 11 : 13

Solution: B. Massage the equation 5(2y + x) = 4(2x + y) to get x = 2y from

which it follows that x + 3y = 5x/2 and 3x + y = 7x/2.

9. Using all nine digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, build three even integers M, N,

and P so that the sum of the three is as small as possible. What is that sum?

(A) 774 (B) 811 (C) 828 (D) 848 (E) 922

Solution: C. We want to save the 1, 2, and 3 for the hundreds digits, so we

have to use the 4, 6, and 8 as the units digits. Therefore the sum is 100 + 200 +
300 + 50 + 70 + 90 + 4 + 6 + 8 = 828.

2
UNC Charlotte 2009 Algebra

10. Three adjacent squares rest on a line. Line L passes through a corner of each
square as shown. The lengths of the sides of the two smaller squares are 4 cm
and 6 cm. Find the length of one side of the largest square.

..
..
............
.
.....
H............... I
.
...
. .
....
E..........
D.............. F
C

A B G J

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 14

Solution: B. The slope of the line is 1/2, so the largest square is 9 9.

....
..
............
.
...
H...............
.......
E............... 3
9

D............ 2 6
4

A B G J

3
UNC Charlotte 2009 Algebra

11. What is the area of the triangular region in the first quadrant bounded on
the left by the y-axis, bounded above by the line 7x + 4y = 168 and bounded
below by the line 5x + 3y = 121?

(A) 16 (B) 50/3 (C) 17 (D) 52/3 (E) 53/3

Solution: B. The triangle has a base along the y-axis of 42 121/3 = 5/3 and
an altitude of 20 (the lines intersect at (20, 7). So the area is 21 35 20 = 50/3.

12. Given that (x, y) satisfies x2 +y 2 = 9, what is the largest value of x2 +3y 2 +4x?

(A) 22 (B) 24 (C) 36 (D) 27 (E) 29

Solution: E. Replace y 2 with 9x2 to get x2 3x2 +27+4x = 292x2 +4x2 =

29 2(x 1)2 , which must be at least 29. Its value at x = 1 is 29.

13. Find the sum 12 + 17 + 22 + 27 + 32 + . . . + 97 of all the two-digit numbers

whose units digit is either 2 or 7.

(A) 972 (B) 981 (C) 990 (D) 999 (E) 1008

Solution: B. Subtract 7 from each entry, then divide the resulting terms by
5 to get 1, 2, 3, . . . 18, so there are 18 numbers in the sum. The average value
is (12 + 97) 2, so the total sum is 18 (12 + 97) 2 = 9(109) = 981.

4
UNC Charlotte 2009 Algebra

14. If x and y are two-digit positive integers with xy = 555, what is x + y?

(A) 116 (B) 188 (C) 52 (D) 45 (E) None of these

Solution: C. By prime factorization, we have 555 = 3 5 37 and since x and y

and are required to be two-digit integers, the only pair of integers that satisfy
the problem conditions is 15 and 37.

15. Find the sum of the x-intercepts of the function

g(x) = 3(2x + 7)2 (x 1)2 (2x + 7)(x 1)3 .

(A) 69/10 (B) 67/10 (C) 33/5 (D) 5/2 (E) 5/2

Solution: A. Factor out the common terms to get g(x) = (2x + 7)(x
1)2 [3(2x + 7 (x 1)] = (2x + 7)(x 1)2 [5x + 22]. Setting each factor equal
to zero, we find the zeros are x = 7/2, x = 1, and x = 22/5. So the sum is
69/10.

16. An urn contains marbles of four colors, red, yellow, blue and green. All but
25 are red, all but 25 are yellow, and all but 25 are blue. All but 36 are green.
How many of the marbles are green?

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

Solution: A. Let r, g, y, b denote the number of red, green, yellow and blue
marbles respectively. Then the equations translate into g+b+y = 25, r+g+y =
25, r + b + g = 25 and r + b + y = 36. Adding all four equations together yields
3(r + g + y + b) = 111, which means that r + g + y + b = 37. Subtract the
fourth equation from this one to get g = 1.

17. Each of four cubes is a different size, such that the side of the largest is twice
the side of the smallest, and each adjacent size has an equal increment of
length. Which of the following statements are true?

I. The sum of the volumes of the three smallest cubes equals the volume of
the largest cube.
II. The total length of the largest cubes edges is half the sum of the other
three cubes edges.

5
UNC Charlotte 2009 Algebra

III. The sum of the areas of one face on the two middle cubes equals the sum
of the areas of one face on the other two cubes.

(A) I only (B) II only (C) both I and II

(D) III only (E) none of these

Solution: C. The cubes must satisfy the edge ratio 3 : 4 : 5 : 6. Therefore

their volumes must have the ratio 33 : 43 : 53 : 63 or 27 : 64 : 125 : 216. Since
27 + 64 + 125 = 216, I is true. Every cube has 12 equal edges, so that the sums
of their edges are in the same ratio 3 : 4 : 5 : 6. Clearly 6 is half the sum of
3 + 4 + 5 = 12, so II is true. The middle two cubes faces areas correspond to 42
and 52 whose sum is 16 + 25 = 41. The other two cubes face areas correspond
to 32 and 62 whose sum is 9 + 36 = 45. Since 41 6= 45, III is false.

18. Define a prime time to be when a digital display indicates both hours and
minutes as a prime number on a twelve hour clock. Which of the following is
closest to the percent of the time is the time displayed prime time?

(A) 11.8 (B) 17.0 (C) 28.3 (D) 41.7 (E) none of these

Solution: A. The prime hours are 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11. both a.m. and p.m. which
is 10 hours. The prime minutes are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43,
47, 53, 59. There are 17 such minute values. The total duration of 17 minutes
in each of 10 hours gives us 170 minutes. One day has 24 60 = 1440 minutes.
So 170/1440 0.118 or 11.8 percent.

19. If (mx + 7)(5x + n) = px2 + 15x + 14, what is m(n + p)

(A) 10 (B) 520 (C) 480 (D) 2 (E) 520

Solution: C. Since (mx + 7)(5x + n) = 5mx2 + 35x + mnx + 7n, it follows

that n = 2 and 35x + 2m = 15. Thus m = 10 and 5m = p so p = 50.
Hence m(n + p) = 10(2 + 50) = 480.

6
UNC Charlotte 2009 Algebra

v s
u

u r q
20. Solve for x: t
1+ 3 1+ 2+ x = 1.

(A) 3844 (B) 62 (C) 62 (D) 64 (E) 4096
s

r q
Solution: A. Square both sides and get 1 + 3 1+ 2+ x = 1 so
s

r q r q
3 1+ 2+ x = 0 so again square both sides and get 3 1 + 2+ x=

r q q
0 so 1 + 2 + x = 3 so square both side and get 1 + 2 + x = 9 then
q
2 + x = 8 so again square both sides and have 2 + x = 64 so x = 62
so square both sides on last time to get x = 3844.

21. Solve for x: 83x+1 83x = 448.

(A) 2/3 (B) 3/2 (C) 2 (D) 2.93578 (E) none of the above

Solution: A. Factor out 83x to get 83x (8 1) = 448 so 83x 7 = 448 and
83x = 64. Thus 83x = 82 so 3x = 2 and x = 2/3.

22. What is the product of all the even divisors of 1000?

(A) 32 1012 (B) 64 1014 (C) 128 1016

(D) 64 1018 (E) 1024

Solution: D. Since 1000 = 23 53 it has only four odd divisors, 1, 5, 25, and
125. The product of all 16 divisors is 10008 since the 16 divisors form pairs
of numbers that have 1000 as their product. Thus the product P of the even
divisors is P = (23 53 )8 (5 52 53 ) = 224 524 56 = 224 518 = 26 (2 5)18 =
64 1018 .

23. Let N denote the largest number satisfying all three of the properties

(a) N is a product of three consecutive integers,

(b) N is a sum of three consecutive integers, and
(c) N < 1000.

7
UNC Charlotte 2009 Algebra

What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 6 (B) 12 (C) 18 (D) 24 (E) 36

Solution: C. Every multiple of 3 is the sum of three consecutive integers.

Every product of three consecutive integers is a multiple of 3 because on of the
integers is itself a multiple of 3. So condition (a) does not add any constraint.
The largest number less than 1000 that can be written as a product of three
consecutive integers is 9 10 11 = 990, and the sum of its digits is 18.

24. How many two-element subsets {a, b} of {1, 2, 3, . . . , 16} satisfy ab is a perfect
square?

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

Solution: E. Any two-element subset of {1, 4, 9, 16} satisfies the condition.

There
  are just two other sets, {2, 8} and {3, 12}. A four element set has
4
2
= 6 two-element subsets, so there are 6 + 2 = 8 (unordered) pairs whose
product is a perfect square.

25. A rectangular box with integral sides has a volume of 72 cubic units. What is
the least possible surface area.

(A) 100 (B) 108 (C) 114 (D) 120 (E) 290

Solution: B. There are 12 different shapes. If the dimensions are a b c,

then the possible triplets are (1, 1, 72), (1, 2, 36), (1, 3, 24), (1, 4, 18), (1, 6, 12),
(1, 8, 9), (2, 2, 18), (2, 3, 12), (2, 4, 9), (2, 6, 6), (3, 3, 8), and (3, 4, 6). The surface
area S is given by S = 2(ab + ac + bc), which is minimized when the values of
a, b, and c are as close together as possible. That happens for the last of the
triplets listed, so S = 2(3 4 + 3 6 + 4 6) = 108.

8
 UNC Charlotte 2010 Algebra
with solutions
March 8, 2010

1. Let y = mx + b be the image when the line x 3y + 11 = 0 is reflected across

the x-axis. The value of m + b is:

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

Solution: C. The slope of the given line is 1/3 with y-intercept (0, 11/3).
The reflected line has slope 1/3 and y-intercept (0, 11/3). Then m + b =
1/3 + (11/3) = 4.

2. Which of the following equations have the same graphs?

I. y =x2 II. y = (x2 4)/(x + 2) III. (x + 2)y = x2 4

(A) I. and II. only (B) I. and III. only (C) II. and III. only
(D) I., II., and III. (E) None. All the equations have different graphs.

Solution: E. Note that when x = 2, graph I contains only the point y = 4,

graph II contains no points with x = 2, and graph III contains the entire
vertical line x = 2.

3. When 973 is expressed in base 100 notation, what is the sum of the digits ?
(The digits are the coefficients of 1002 , 100, and 1.)

(A) 88 (B) 143 (C) 162 (D) 187 (E) 190

Solution: E. Expand to get 973 = (1003)3 = 1003 31002 3+310032 33 =

1002 (91) + 27 100 27 = 91 1002 + 26 100 + 73, so the digits are 91, 26,
and 73 and the sum is 190.

4. Find the maximum value of f (x) = x2 + 22x + 121 + x2 26x + 169 over
the interval 12 x 12.

(A) 24 (B) 26 (C) 28 (D) 30 (E) 32

Solution: B. Note that f (x) = |x + 11| + |x 13|, whose maximum value over
[12, 12] occurs at (12); f (12) = 26.
UNC Charlotte 2010 Algebra

5. How many triples of positive integers (x, y, z) satisfy both

x y z and
x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 4(x + y + z) + 38.

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) more than 3

Solution: E. Add 12 to both sides of the second equation to get x2 4x + 4 +

y 2 4y + 4 + z 2 4z + 4 = 50. The left side is just (x 2)2 + (y 2)2 + (z 2)2 ,
and a case by case examination reveals four solutions, (5, 6, 7), (2, 3, 9), (2, 7, 7),
and (1, 2, 9).

6. The number of positive integers k for which the equation kx + 12 = 3k has an

integer solution for x is

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: D. We have x = 3 12 k
, so k must be a positive integer that divides
12 and each such choice will have an integer solution for x. So k = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
are the values of k.

7. For all non-zero real numbers x and y such that x y = xy, the value of
1/x 1/y is

(A) 1/2 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) 1

Solution: E. Dividing both sides of x y = xy by xy yields 1/x1/y = 1.

8. The sum of 67 consecutive integers is 2010. What is the least of these numbers?

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

Solution: A. We have x + (x + 1) + (x + 2) + . . . + (x + 66) = 67x + (1 + 2 +

3 + . . . + 66) = 67x + 66(67)/2 = 2010. We find that x = 3.

2
UNC Charlotte 2010 Algebra

9. Suppose f (0) = 3 and f (n) = f (n 1) + 2. Let T = f (f (f (f (5)))). What is

the sum of the digits of T ?

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

Solution: C. In fact, f (n) = 2n + 3, and T = f (f (f (f (5)))) = f (f (f (13))) =

f (f (29)) = f (61) = 125.

10. Find the volume of a rectangular box whose left side, front side, and bottom
have areas of 12 square inches, 30 square inches and 90 square inches, respec-
tively.

(A) 240 cubic inches (B) 300 cubic inches (C) 120 cubic inches
(D) 180 cubic inches (E) 360 cubic inches

Solution: D. Let w, h, and l denote the three dimensions. Then the given
information can be written wh = 12, wl = 30, and lh = 90. Taking products
2 2 2
all three gives w h l = 12 30 90. It follows that Volume = whl =
of
12 30 90 = 180.

11. Solve simultaneously:

x + 2y + z = 14
2x + y + z = 12
x + y + 2z = 18

(A) x = 1, y = 3, z = 7 (B) x = 2, y = 4, z = 8
(C) x = 3, y = 12, z = 0 (D) x = 6, y = 4, z = 4
(E) x = 4, y = 4, z = 5

Solution: A. Add the three equations together to get 4x + 4y + 4z = 44, so

x + y + z = 11. Subtract this from each of the given equations, one at a time,
to get x = 1, y = 3, and z = 7.

3
UNC Charlotte 2010 Algebra

12. How many positive integer divisors does N = 63 150 have?

(A) 32 (B) 75 (C) 18 (D) 24 (E) 27

Solution: B. The prime factorization of N is 23 33 2 3 52 = 24 34 52 . Thus
N has (4 + 1)(4 + 1)(2 + 1) = 75 divisors.

13. Let x1 and x2 be the real solutions of the equation x2 + bx + c = 0 with b 6= 0.

If x1 x2 = 4 and x21 + x22 = 40, then b must be equal to

(A) 8 (B) 4 (C) 12 (D) 8 or 4 (E) 8 or 8

Solution: E. By substitution of the givens, we have x21 + (x1 4)2 = 40 and
x1 = 6, 2. Then x2 = x1 4 = 2, 6. Since b = x1 + x2 and b 6= 0, we must
have either b = 6 + 2 = 8 or b = 2 6 = 8.

14. Suppose A and B are sets with 5 and 7 elements respectively and A B has 2
elements. How many elements does A B have?

(A) 14 (B) 12 (C) 8 (D) 10 (E) 18

Solution: D. The inclusion-exclusion principle states that for any pair of sets
A and B, |A B| = |A| + |B| |A B|, which in this case yields |A B| =
5 + 7 2 = 10.

15. For what positive value of x is there a right triangle with sides 2x + 2, 6x, and
6x + 2?

(A) 8 (B) 6 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 9

Solution: C. The number x must satisfy (2x + 2)2 + (6x)2 = (6x + 2)2 since
6x + 2 is clearly the largest of the three numbers. Thus 4x2 + 8x + 4 + 36x2
36x2 24x 4 = 4x2 16x = 0 from which it follows that x = 4.

16. Find an equation of the line tangent to the circle x2 + y 2 = 2 at the point (1, 1).

(A) 3x y = 4 (B) y = 2x 1 (C) y = 2x + 3

(D) 3x 2y = 1 (E) x + y = 2
Solution: E. The center of our circle is (0, 0) and the line connecting the center
of the circle with (1, 1) has slope 1. Thus the tangent line must have slope 1
and pass through (1, 1). The point-slope form of the equation of the tangent
line is y 1 = (x 1), which may be rearranged into x + y = 2.

4
UNC Charlotte 2010 Algebra

17. Three points A = (0, 1), B = (2, a) and C = (3, 7) are on a straight line. What
is the value of a?

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

a1
Solution: A. The slope of AB is the same as that of AC. That is, =
20
71
, and it follows that a 1 = 4 so a = 5. Alternatively, use A and C to
30
get the slope and then use A to get the slope-intercept equation y = 2x + 1.
Then just plug in x = 2. Also, there is a graphical approach: draw the line and
notice that the line goes through (2, 5).

18. A rope maker cut a cord into three pieces. Lets name the pieces X, Y , and Z.
X is 3 feet long, Y is 3 feet longer than one-fourth of Z. Z is as long as X and
Y together. How long is the cord?

(A) 13 feet (B) 14 feet (C) 15 feet (D) 16 feet (E) 17 feet

Solution: D. X = 3, Y = 3 + (1/4)Z, and Z = X + Y = 3 + Y , so Z =

3 + 3 + (1/4)Z, so Z = 6 + (1/4)Z. So (3/4)Z = 6, so Z = 8. So Y = 3 + 2 = 5.
The length of the cord is 3 + 5 + 8 =16.

19. Find all points (x, y) that have an x-coordinate twice the y-coordinate and that
lie on the circle of radius of 5 with center at (2, 6).

(A) (6, 3) only (B) (2, 1) only (C) (4, 2) and (6, 3)
(D) (2, 1) and (0, 0) (E) (6, 3) and (2, 1)

Solution: E. The two conditions are (x 2)2 + (y 6)2 = 25 and x = 2y.

Substituting and solving we have: (2y 2)2 + (y 6)2 = 25, y 2 4y + 3 = 0,
(y 3)(y 1) = 0 so y = 3 and y = 1. The corresponding x values are 6 and
2.

5
UNC Charlotte 2010 Algebra

20. Four numbers are written in a row. The average of the first two numbers is 7,
the average of the middle two numbers is 2.3, and the average of the last two
numbers is 8.4. What is the average of the first number and the last number?

(A) 13.1 (B) 7.7 (C) 8.85 (D) 2.3 (E) none of the above

Solution: A. Let A, B, C, D represent the numbers, respectively. Then

(A + B)/2 = 7, (B + C)/2 = 2.3, and (C + D)/2 = 8.4.

(A + D)/2 = (A + B)/2 (B + C)/2 + (C + D)/2 = 7 2.3 + 8.4.

So (A + D)/2 = 13.1.

21. What non-zero real value for x satisfies (7x)14 = (14x)7 ?

(A) 1/7 (B) 2/7 (C) 1 (D) 7 (E) 14

Solution: B. Taking the seventh root of both sides, we get (7x)2 = 14x.
Simplifying gives 49x2 = 14x, which then simplifies to 7x = 2. Thus x = 2/7.

22. The sum of three numbers is 20. The first is four times the sum of the other
two. The second is seven times the third. What is the product of all three?

(A) 28 (B) 32 (C) 60 (D) 84 (E) 140

Solution: A. Let the three numbers be x, y, and z. The given information

tells us that

y = 7z
x = 4(y + z) = 4(7z + z) = 32z

Hence, x + y + z = 32z + 7z + z = 40z = 20. Hence, z = 1/2. Substitution gives

y = 7/2, x = 16. Therefore the product of all three numbers is (16)(7/2)(1/2) =
28.

6
UNC Charlotte 2010 Algebra

23. Jimmy and Katie run a circular track of circumference 400 meters. Jimmy runs
275 meters per minute, and Katie runs 300 meters per minute. If they started
the race at the same start line and run in the same direction, how many minutes
would it take for them to meet at the same spot?

(A) 10 min (B) 12 min (C) 14 min (D) 16 min (E) 20 min

Solution: D. Let the time that they meet be t. Then, (300 275)t = 400 and
t = 16. They meet after 16 min.

24. How many integers from 101 to 999 contain the digit 8?

(A) 270 (B) 252 (C) 243 (D) 219 (E) 180

Solution: B. Consider all three-digit numbers and count the numbers without
8. We have 900 three-digit numbers, and 8 9 9 = 648 numbers do not
contain 8. Thus, 900 648 = 252 numbers have the digit 8.
s r
q
25. If log 3 3 3 3 3 = A log 3 , what is A?

31 31 16 32 13
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
16 32 15 17 32

s r
q
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 31
Solution: A. Since 3 3 3 3 3 = 3 3 2 3 4 3 8 3 16 = 31+ 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 = 3 16 ,
31 31 31
we have log 3 16 = 16
log 3 and A = 16
.

7
 UNC Charlotte 2011 Algebra
March 7, 2011

2 +x+4 2 +2x
1. Find the product of all real solutions of 16x = 32x .

(A) 18 (B) 16 (C) 15 (D) 12 (E) 10

2 2
Solution: (B). Since 24 = 16 and 25 = 32, we have (24 )x +x+4 = (25 )x +2x so
that 4x2 +4x+16 = 5x2 +10x. This implies x2 +6x16 = 0 or (x+8)(x2) = 0.
Thus, x = 8 or x = 2 and the product of the solutions is 16.

2. If 4(9a 13b) = 6(a 2b) and b 6= 0, what is the ratio of a to b?

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

Solution: (E). Since 36a 52b = 6a 12b, we find 30a = 40b so that a = 34 b.

3. The function f satisfies the equation f (x) + 2f (3 x) = 4x + 5 for all real x.

What is the value of f (1)?
17 16 14
(A) (B) (C) 5 (D) (E) 4
3 3 3
Solution: (A). Substitute x = 1 and x = 2 to get f (1) + 2f (2) = 9 and
f (2) + 2f (1) = 13. Solving these two equations for f (1) yields f (1) = 17
3
.

4. Each person in a group of five makes a statement: Amy says At least one of
us is lying. Ben says At least two of us are lying. Carrie says At least
four of us are lying. Donna says All of us are lying. Eddie says None of
us is lying. Based on these statements, how many are telling the truth?

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

Solution: (B). Donnas statement cannot be true so Donna and Eddie are
lying. This makes Amys statement and Bens statement true. Therefore,
Carrie is lying and the correct answer is (B).
UNC Charlotte 2011 Algebra

5. A worm is slowly crawling to the top of a pole 70cm high. During the day
it advances 7cm and during the night it slips down 4cm. When will it finally
reach the top?

(A) In 24 days (B) In 23 days (C) In 22 days

(D) In 21 days (E) In 20 days
Solution: (C). After 20 days and nights, the worm is at a height of 60 cm.
On the twenty first day it reaches 67cm and then slips back to 63 cm at night.
On day 22 it reaches 70cm.

6. Three cowboys entered a saloon. The first ordered 4 sandwiches, a cup of

coffee, and 10 doughnuts for $8.45. The second ordered 3 sandwiches, a cup
of coffee, and 7 doughnuts for $6.30. How much did the third cowboy pay for
a sandwich, a cup of coffee, and a doughnut?

(A) $2.00 (B) $2.05 (C) $2.10 (D) $2.15 (E) $2.20
Solution: (A). From the payment of the first cowboy we find the price of 8
sandwiches, 2 cups of coffee, and 20 doughnuts = $16.90. From the payment
of the second cowboy we calculate the price of 9 sandwiches, 3 cups of coffee,
and 21 doughnuts = $18.90. The difference of the sums 18.90 16.90 = 2.00
is exactly the price of one sandwich, a cup of coffee, and a doughnut.

7. Given that a + b + c = 5 and ab + bc + ac = 5, what is the value of a2 + b2 + c2 ?

(A) 5 (B) 10 (C) 15 (D) 20 (E) 25

Solution: (C). We use the formula (a + b + c)2 = a2 + b2 + c2 + 2ab + 2bc + 2ac.
We have a2 + b2 + c2 = (a + b + c)2 2(ab + bc + ac) = 52 2 5 = 15.

2
UNC Charlotte 2011 Algebra

8. Two circles, A and B, overlap each other as shown. The area of the common
part is 2/5 of the area of Circle A, and 5/8 of the area of Circle B. What is
the ratio of the radius of Circle A to that of Circle B?

A
B

(A) 2 : 1 (B) 3 : 2 (C) 4 : 3 (D) 5 : 4 (E) 6 : 5

Solution: (D). Let the radii of Circle A and B be r and R. Then we have
2
5
r2 = 85 R2 . Thus, 16r2 = 25R2 and 4r = 5R The ratio is 5 : 4.

9. For integers a and b, the quadratic equation x2 + ax + 4b = 0 has one solution

at x = 1 and the other solution is between 2 and 5. Find the value of ab.

(A) 5 (B) 3 (C) 1 (D) 4 (E) 6

Solution: (A). Since one solution is x = 1, we get 1 + a + 4b = 0, and we can
rewrite the given equation as (x 1)(x 4b) = 0. So the other solution is 4b,
and we obtain 2 < 4b < 5, that is, 12 < b < 54 for integer b. Thus, b = 1, and
a = 5.

10. A pine tree is 14 yards high, and a bird is sitting on its top. The wind blows
away a feather of the bird. The feather moves uniformly along a straight line
at the speed 4 yards per second; it falls on the ground 4.5 seconds later at a
distance D yards from the pine trees base. Which of the following intervals
contains the number D?

(A) (0, 10] (B) (10, 11] (C) (11, 12] (D) (12, 13] (E) (13, inf inity)
Solution: (C). The right triangle formed by the trunk of the tree, the path
of the feather and its projection on the ground, has hypotenuse 18 and legs 14
and D, so that D2 + 142 = 182 , or D2 = 324 196 = 128; since 112 = 121 <
128 < 144 = 122 , we have 11 < D < 12.

3
UNC Charlotte 2011 Algebra

11. If Bob can beat Jim by one-tenth of a mile in a two-mile race and Jim can
beat Henry by one-fifth of a mile in a two mile race, by what distance could
Bob beat Henry in a two-mile race?

(A) 0.13 miles (B) 0.20 miles (C) 0.29 miles

(D) 0.37 miles (E) 0.53 miles
2 2
Solution: (C). Bob runs 1.9 times as fast as Jim. Jim runs 1.8 times as fast
4 2
as Henry, so Bob runs (1.9)(1.8) = 1.71 times as fast as Henry. Thus, Bob beats
Henry by 2 1.71 = 0.29 miles.

12. Three mutually tangent circles have centers A, B, C and radii a, b, and c respec-
tively. The lengths of segments AB, BC, CA are 17, 23, and 12 respectively.
Find the lengths of the radii.

C B

(A) a = 13, b = 9, c = 7 (B) a = 5, b = 12, c = 6 (C) a = 6, b = 9, c = 12

(D) a = 4, b = 8, c = 12 (E) a = 3, b = 14, c = 9
Solution: (E). We have a + b = 17, b + c = 23, and c + a = 12. Adding the
equations gives 2(a + b + c) = 52 or a + b + c = 26. Subtracting each of the
original equations from this last equation gives c = 9, a = 3, and b = 14.

13. A ladder is leaning against a wall with the top of the ladder 8 feet above the
ground. If the bottom of the ladder is moved 2 feet farther from the wall, the
top of the ladder slides all the way down the wall and rests against the foot of
the wall. How long is the ladder?

(A) 14 feet (B) 15 feet (C) 16 feet (D) 17 feet (E) 18 feet
Solution: (D). If the base is x feet from the wall in the initial position, then
the ladder must be x + 2 feet long. The Pythagoras theorem gives x2 + 82 =
(x + 2)2 which yields x = 15. The length of the ladder is 17 feet.

4
UNC Charlotte 2011 Algebra

14. Find the real numbers m, n such that m + n = 3, and m3 + n3 = 117. What
is the value of m2 + n2 ?

(A) 29 (B) 3 (C) 9 (D) 17 (E) 45

Solution: (A). Factor the second equation and use the first equation. We
have m3 + n3 = (m + n)(m2 mn + n2 ) = 3(m2 mn + n2 ) = 117. Therefore
39 = m2 mn + n2 = (m + n)2 3mn = 9 3mn. Thus, mn = 10.
Substituting this into m2 mn + n2 = 39 we find that m2 + n2 = 29.

15. A right triangle has legs of length 8 and 15. What is the radius of the inscribed
circle?

(A) 1 (B) 1.5 (C) 2 (D) 2.5 (E) 3

Solution: (E). By Pythagoras theorem, the hypotenuse of the triangle is

152 + 82 = 17, thus half of the perimeter is s = (15 + 8 + 17)/2 = 20. The
area of the triangle is A = (15 8)/2 = 60 and this also equals s where
is the radius of the inscribed circle. Therefore = A/s = 60/20 = 3.

16. A farmer has 200 yards of fencing material. What is the largest rectangular
area he can enclose if he wants to use a 4 yard wide gate that does not need
to be covered by the fencing material?

(A) 2, 500 square yards (B) 2, 601 square yards (C) 2, 704 square yards
(D) 2, 809 square yards (E) 2, 916 square yards
Solution: (B). We may add the length of the gate to the length of the fencing
material and then we have 204 yards of fencing material. If the width of the
enclosed area is x yards then the length is (204 2x)/2 = 102 x yards. The
enclosed area is x(102 x) = 102x x2 = 512 (x 51)2 square yards. The
largest area of 512 = 2601 is achieved when the length and the width are both
51 yards.

17. Suppose that f (x) = ax + b, where a and b are real numbers. Given that
f (f (f (x))) = 8x + 21, what is the value of a + b?

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

3 2
Solution: (D). f (f (f (x))) = a x + a b + ab + b = 8x + 21 so a = 2 and
7b = 21. Therefore a + b = 5.

5
UNC Charlotte 2011 Algebra

18. The points (2, k) and (5, 5) belong to the line perpendicular to the line
3x 2y = 7. Find the value of k.

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: (E). The given line has slope 3/2 so the one perpendicular has slope
2/3. Hence k5
25
= 2/3. Solving, we get k = 7.

19. What is the product of all solutions of ||2x 5| 3| = 2?

(A) 12 (B) 0 (C) 6 (D) 12 (E) 30

Solution: (B). First note that |2x 5| 3 could be either 2 or 2. That is,
|2x 5| 3 = 2 or |2x 5| 3 = 2. Thus either |2x 5| = 5 or |2x 5| = 1.
Each of these has two solutions. The former, x = 0 and x = 5 and the later,
x = 2 and x = 3.

20. What is the radius of the circle with equation x2 4x + y 2 + 6y = 3?

(A) 3 (B) 2 (C) 5 (D) 3 (E) 4
Solution: (E). In order to complete the squares we add 4 + 9 = 13 and obtain
x2 4x + 4 + y 2 + 6y + 9 = 16 or (x 2)2 + (y + 3)2 = 42 . The radius is 4.

21. Suppose 2 log x + log 4 log 2x = 1. Find the value of x2 + x.

(A) 12 (B) 20 (C) 30 (D) 42 (E) 56

Solution:
 2 (C). Combining the left-hand side into one logarithm we find
4x
log 2x = 1 or 2x = 101 . Therefore x = 5 and x2 + x = 30.

22. What is the coefficient of x5 in the polynomial (x + 2)8 ?

(A) 112 (B) 224 (C) 448 (D) 560 (E) 896
Solution: (C). Using Pascals triangle or the binomial theorem, we see that
8!
the coefficient of x5 is 5!3! 23 = 448.

23. Given that x x1 = 2 3 for some x 6= 0. find (x2 x12 )2 .

(A) 75 (B) 108 (C) 147 (D) 192 (E) 243

Solution: (D). 12 = (x x1 )2 = x2 2+ x12 . Therefore (x+ x1 )2 = x2 +2+ x12 = 16
and (x2 x12 )2 = (x x1 )2 (x + x1 )2 = 12 16.

6
UNC Charlotte 2011 Algebra

24. Which of the following numbers is a perfect square?

(A) 23! 24! (B) 24! 25! (C) 25! 26! (D) 26! 27! (E) 27! 28!
Solution: (B). 24! 25! = 24! 25 24! = (5 24!)2 .

25. Find the sum of all the zeros of the function F (x) = 18x3 9x2 5x + 2.

(A) 0.25 (B) 0.5 (C) 0.75 (D) 1.00 (E) 1.25
Solution: (B). Suppose the zeros are x1 , x2 and x3 . Then F (x) = 18(x
x1 )(x x2 )(x x3 ) so that the coefficient of x2 is 18(x1 + x2 + x3 ) = 9.
Consequently, the sum is 0.5.

7
 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
1995 HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTEST
March 13, 1995

1012 1011
1. =
9
1 10 1011
(A) (B) (C) 103 (D) (E) 1011
9 9 9

(E)
1012 1011 1011 (10 1)
= = 1011
9 9

2. If z = x, what are all the values of y for which

(x + y)2 + (y + z)2 = 2x2 ?

(A) 0 (B) 0, 1 (C) 1, 0, 1 (D) All positive numbers

(E) There are no values of y for which the equation is true

(A) Replace z with x in (x + y)2 + (y + z)2 = 2x2 to get

(x + y)2 + (y x)2 = 2x2

or
2x2 + 2y 2 = 2x2
which implies that 2y 2 = 0. Hence y = 0.

3. It is known that log10 3 = .4771, correct to four places. How many digits are
there in the decimal representation of 3100 ?

(A) 46 (B) 47 (C) 48 (D) 49 (E) 50

(C) The number of decimal digits of an integer N is blog10 N c + 1. Applying

this to 3100 , we get blog10 3100 c + 1 = b100 log10 3c + 1 = b47.71c + 1 = 48.

1
 3
4. Given that 2
< x < 52 , find the value of

x2 2x + 1 + x2 6x + 9

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 2x 4 (D) 4 2x

(E) none of A, B, C or D

(B) Under the condition
we have x2 2x + 1 + x2 6x + 9 = x 1 +
3 x = 2. Note that x2 is not always equal to x.

5. An archer misses the target on his first shot and hits the target on the next
three shots. What is the least number of consecutive hits he must achieve
following the first four shots in order to hit the target on more than nine
tenths of his shots?

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 9 (D) 10 (E) 11

(B) If the archer hits the next seven consecutive shots then he will have hit
10 out of 11 shots and 10
11
9
> 10 . But six consecutive hits will not be enough.

4 +n+1
6. For all integers n, (1)n is equal to
2
(A) 1 (B) (1)n+1 (C) (1)n (D) (1)n (E) +1

(A) Since n and n4 are both even or both odd, their sum is even. Hence
4 4
(1)n +n+1 = (1)n +n (1)1 = (1)(1) = 1.

2
7. The graph of |x| + |y| = 4 encloses a region in the plane. What is the area of
the region?

(A) 4 (B) 8 (C) 16 (D) 32 (E) 64

region is a square with vertices at (4, 0), (0, 4), (4, 0), and (0, 4),
(D) The enclosed
which has area (4 2)2 = 32.

8. Find the minimum value of

123456789

where each is either a + or a .

(A) 36 (B) 40 (C) 44 (D) 45 (E) 84

(C) For integers larger than 1, addition produces smaller values than multi-
plication. Make the first operator and the others +s to get the minimum
value 1 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 = 44.

1 1
9. Given 3 = a + where a 6= 0, find a .
a a

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 3 5 (D) 7 (E) 5 2

(C) Using the identity (a b)2 = (a + b)2 4ab, we get

!2 !2
1 1
a = a+ 4 = 32 4 = 5,
a a

! !
1 1 1 1
hence a = 5. Thus a = a+ a = 3 5.
a a a a

3

3
10. The number log 1 1024 is equal to
4

20 5 5 20
(A) 5 (B) (C) (D) (E)
3 3 3 3
h ix
1024 = ( 14 )x or 210 = ( 12 )2
3 3
(C) The log in question is the solution of so
10
2 3 = ( 12 )2x , from which it follows that x = 53 .

11. Given that

x(y a) = 0, z(y b) = 0, and a < b,
which of the following must be true?

(A) xz < 0 (B) xz > 0 (C) x = 0

(D) z = 0 (E) xz = 0

(E) From the first condition, either x = 0 or y = a. Case 1: If x = 0, then

xz = 0. Case 2: If x 6= 0, then y = a and since a < b, y b 6= 0. Thus, from
the second equation, z = 0 and so xz = 0. In either case xz = 0.

12. If 2100 = 5m + k, where k and m are integers and 0 k 4, then k is

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

(B) The sequence of powers of 2 has the property that every term of the
form 24k is one larger than a multiple of 5, that is, has the form 5m + 1 for
some integer m. To see this note that 24 is such a number and the product
(5k + 1)(5j + 1) = 25kj + 5k + 5j + 1 of two numbers of this form also has
this form. Hence 2100 = 5m + 1 for some integer m.

13. If a, b, c and d represent distinct nonzero base ten digits for which aaaaten +
bbbten + ccten + dten = 1995, then a b c d =

(A) 336 (B) 432 (C) 486 (D) 504 (E) 567

(D) Since aaaaten + bbbten + ccten + dten = 1995, it follows that a = 1 and
bbbten +ccten +dten = 884. Since 13 = 11+2 ccten +dten 99+8 = 107, we
have b = 7, and then it follows that c = 9 and d = 8. Thus, a b c d = 504.

4
14. The number of rational solutions to x4 3x3 20x2 + 30x + 100 = 0 is

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

(C) All rational solutions must be factors of 100. Neither 1 nor 2 are solu-
tions, but x = 2 is a solution, and we find

x4 3x3 20x2 + 30x + 100 = (x + 2)(x3 5x2 10x + 50).

It is easy to see that x = 5 is a solution to x3 5x2 10x + 50 = 0, so by

dividing, we find that

x4 3x3 20x2 + 30x + 100 = (x + 2)(x 5)(x2 10).

The solutions to x2 10 = 0 are 10, and these are not rational, so there
are just two rational solutions, x = 2 and x = 5.

15. The nine numbers N, N + 3, N + 6, , N + 24, where N is a positive integer,

can be used to complete a three by three magic square. What is the sum of
the entries of a row of such a magic square? A magic square is a square array
of numbers such that the sum of the numbers in each row, each column, and
the two diagonals is the same.

(A) 3N (B) 3N + 6 (C) 3N + 12 (D) 3N + 24 (E) 3N + 36

(E) If K is the sum of the entries of each row, then 3K = N + (N + 3) + (N +

6) + . . . + (N + 24) = 9N + 3 + 6 + . . . + 24 = 9N + 8( 3+24
2
) = 9N + 4 27,
since the sum of the entries of an arithmetic sequence is the number of terms
times the average of the first and last term. Hence, K = 9N +108
3
= 3N + 36.
16. Consider the function F : N N defined by

n/3 if n is a multiple of 3
F (n) =
2n + 1 if otherwise
For how many positive integers k is it true that F (F (k))) = k?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

(C) The two-fold composition F F (k) of F with itself evaluated at k results
in one of the four values k9 , 2( k3 ) + 1, 2k+1
3
or 2(2k + 1) + 1. Only the second
and third of these give values of k for which F (F (k))) = k. These values are
1 and 3.

5
17. Define the sequence a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . by
1 1
   
i
ai = 10 10 10i1 , for i = 1, 2, . . . .
13 13
The largest value of any ai is

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

Note: For real x, bxc is the largest integer that does not exceed x.

1 1
(D) Since 13 = .076923 and ai is the ith digit in the decimal expansion of 13
,
the largest value of ai must be 9.

18. Triangle T has vertices (0, 30), (4, 0), and (30, 0). Circle C with radius r
circumscribes T . Which of the following is the closest to r?

(A) 20 (B) 21 (C) 22 (D) 23 (E) 24

(B)
q The lines y = x and x = 17 intersect at the center of C, so the radius is
(132 + 172 ) 21.40 which is closest to 21.

6
19. If a, b and c are three distinct numbers such that

a2 bc = 7, b2 + ac = 7, and c2 + ab = 7,

then a2 + b2 + c2 =

(A) 8 (B) 10 (C) 12 (D) 14 (E) 17

(D) Subtract the second given equation from the third to get

c2 b2 a(c b) = 0. (1)

Dividing equation (1) by (c b) we have

b + c a = 0. (2)

Add the three given equations to obtain

a2 + b2 + c2 bc + a(c + b) = 21. (3)

Using equation (2) we can substitute a for c + b in equation (3) to obtain

a2 + b2 + c2 bc + a2 = 21,

and then use the fact that a2 bc = 7 to obtain a2 + b2 + c2 = 14. For

completeness, note that the system has a solution, a = 3, b = 2, and c = 1.
20. The midpoints of the sides of a triangle are (1, 1), (4, 3), and (3, 5). Find the
area of the triangle.

(A) 14 (B) 16 (C) 18 (D) 20 (E) 22

(B) The triangle in question has area four times the one obtained by con-
necting the midpoints with line segments. (Draw the picture.) That triangle
has area 4. You can find the area of any triangle with integer vertices by aug-
menting triangular regions to build a rectangle, and then subtracting areas.
The rectangle here has vertices (1, 1), (4, 1), (4, 5), and (1, 5), so the area of the
midpoint triangle is 12 3 4 1 = 4. Thus the large triangle has area 16.

7
21. Let x and y be two positive real numbers satisfying

x + y + xy = 10 and x2 + y 2 = 40.

What integer is nearest x + y?

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

(D) Square x + y to get

(x + y)2 = x2 + y 2 + 2xy = 40 + 2(10 x y) = 60 2(x + y).

Let t = x + y, and note that t2 + 2t 60 =0. Use the quadratic formula to

find that t = 1 + 61 6.81 or t = 1 61 8.81.

22. Let f (n) be the integer closest to 4 n. Then 1995 1
P
i=1 f (i) =

(A) 375 (B) 400 (C) 425 (D) 450 (E) 500
(B) The largest integer with fourth root closest to k is b(k + 12 )4 c. Why? Then
1 3 1 1
b(k + )4 c = bk 4 + 2k 3 + k 2 + k + c
2 2 2 16
1 1
= bk 4 + 2k 3 + (3k 2 + k) + c
2 16
1
= k 4 + 2k 3 + (3k 2 + k) since 3k 2 + k is even.
2
Therefore, the number of integers with fourth root closest to k is
1 1
b(k + )4 c b((k 1) + )4 c =
2 2
1 4 1
b(k + ) c b(k )4 c =
2 2
1 1
{k 4 + 2k 3 + (3k 2 + k)} {k 4 2k 3 + (3k 2 k)} =
2 2
4k 3 + k

That is, f (n) = k for 4k 3 + k (consecutive) values of n. Since f (1995) =

7, 6k=1 (4k 3 + k) = 1785 and f (1786) = f (1787) = . . . = f (1995) = 7, it
P

follows that
1995 1785 6 6
1 X 1 210 X 4k 3 + k
+ 30 = (4k 2 + 1) + 30 = 400.
X X
= + =
i=1 f (i) i=1 f (i) 7 i=1 k i=1

8
 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
1996 HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTEST
March 4, 1996

1. If
f (x, y) = (max(x, y))min(x,y)
and
g(x, y) = max(x, y) min(x, y),
then

3
f (g(1, ), g(4, 1.75)) =
2

(A) 0.5 (B) 0 (C) 0.5 (D) 1 (E) 1.5

(E) First, evaluate the two occurences of g, and then take f of the
results.
3 3 3
     
g 1, = max 1, min 1,
2 2 2
3
 
= 1
2
1
=
2
and

g(4, 1.75) = max(4, 1.75) min(4, 1.75)

= 1.75 (4)
= 2.25
9
= .
4
Then,

1 9 min( 2 , 4 )
1 9
1 9
   
f , = max ,
2 4 2 4
 1
9 2
=
4
3
= .
2
Notice that g(x, y) = |x y| is just the distance between the numbers
x and y.
2. Which of the following statements below could be used to disprove If
p is a prime number, then p is three less than a multiple of four.

(A) Some even numbers are not prime.

(B) Not all odd numbers are prime.
(C) Seven is prime.
(D) Nine is not prime.
(E) Five is prime.

(C) We want a number which satisfies the hypothesis but fails the
conclusion. Seven is such a number.

3. If log x + log 5 = log x2 log 14, then x =

(A) 270 (B) 0 (C) 70 (D) either 0 or 70 (E) 702

(C) Note that 5x = x2 /14, so x = 70. Even though 0 satisfies 5x =

x2 /14, it does not satisfy log x + log 5 = log x2 log 14 because log 0
is undefined.

4. A line l1 has a slope of 2 and passes through the point (r, 3). A
second line, l2 , is perpendicular to l1 , intersects l1 at (a, b), and passes
through the point (6, r). The value of a is
2 5
(A) r (B) r (C) 1 (D) 2r 3 (E) r
5 2

(B) An equation for l1 is y + 3 = 2(x r), so y = 2x + (2r 3).

An equation for l2 is y r = 21 (x 6), so y = 12 x + (r 3). Hence we
have 2x + 2r 3 = 12 x + r 3, so x = 52 r.
5. What is the probability of obtaining an ace on both the first and
second draws from a deck of cards when the first card is not replaced
before the second is drawn?

(A) 1/13 (B) 1/17 (C) 1/221 (D) 30/221 (E) 4/221

(C) The probability of obtaining an ace on the first draw is 4/52 =

1/13. If the first card drawn is an ace there are 3 aces remaining in the
deck, which now consists of 51 cards. Thus, the probability of getting
an ace on the second draw is 3/51 = 1/17. The required probability is
the product of the two, which is c) 1/221. The problem can be solved
(4) 4!/2!2!
by dividing: 522 = 52!/50!2! = 1/221.
(2)

a c a
6. If a, b, c, and d are nonzero real numbers, b
= d
, and d
= cb , then
which one of the following must be true?

(A) a = b (B) a = c (C) a = d (D) b = c

(E) none of A, B, C or D

(A) From the second equation, we have ab = dc . But the first equation
asserts that ab = dc . Thus dc = dc , and so ab = 1.To see that none of
the other choices can be correct, let a = 1, b = 1, c = 2, and
d = 2.

q
7. If 2+ x = 3, then x =

(A) 1 (B) 7 (C) 11 (D) 49 (E) 121

(D) q
2+ x = 3 2 + x = 9 x = 7 x = 49.
 8. A cyclist rides his bicycle over a route which is 13 uphill, 13 level, and
1
3
downhill. If he covers the uphill part of the route at the rate of
16 miles per hour and the level part at the rate of 24 miles per hour,
what rate in miles per hour would he have to travel the downhill part
of the route in order to average 24 miles per hour for the entire route?

(A) 32 (B) 36 (C) 40 (D) 44 (E) 48

(E) Let 3d be the number of miles in the entire route. Then the time
d
d
t, in hours, for the cyclist to cover the entire route is t = 16 + 24 + dr
where r is the rate in miles per hour over the downhill portion of the
route. Hence, the average rate in miles per hour over the entire route
(48r)
is 3dt = 3 5r+48 . Equating this result to 24 gives r = 48.

2
9. The square of 2 equals
2
(A) 22 (B) 4 2
(C) 42 (D) 42 2
(E) 4 2

(B)
(2 2 )2 = 22 2
= (22 ) 2
=4 2

10. Let A be the ratio of the volume of a sphere to the volume of a cube
each of whose faces is tangent to the sphere, and let B be the ratio of
the surface area of this sphere to the surface area of the cube. Then
A A A 1 A 1
(A) >1 (B) =1 (C) 1 > > (D) =
B B B 2 B 2
A 1
(E) <
B 2
(B) Let r be the radius of the sphere. Then 2r is the edge length of
4
r 3 4r 2 A
the cube, A = (2r)
3
3 = 6 , and B = 6(2r)2 = 6 . Thus B = 1.

11. The sum of the odd positive integers from 1 to n is 9,409. What is n?

(A) 93 (B) 97 (C) 103 (D) 167 (E) 193

k odd integers, 1 + 3 + 5 + + (2k 1) is

(E) The sum of the first
2
k . Therefore, n is the 9409th = 97th positive odd integer, which is
2 97 1 = 193.
12. What is the area of the region of the plane determined by the inequal-
ity 3 |x| + |y| 4?

(A) 7 (B) 9 (C) 14 (D) 16 (E) 32

(C) The region is an annular square whose outside bounding square

has area 32 and whose inside bounding square has area 18. Hence,
the area of the region is 32 18 = 14.

13. For how many positive integers n do there exist n consecutive integers
that sum to 1? (The sum of 1 consecutive integer is just the number
itself.)

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

(C) Suppose there is a sequence of n consecutive integers beginning

with u having a sum of 1. Regrouping and factoring we obtain,

u + (u + 1) + (u + 2) + + (u + n 1) = (n) u + 1 + 2 + n 1
n1
 
= (n) u +
2
= 1

Since n 1, there are only two possible ways to get 1 as such a

product: n = 1, in which case we get u = 1 and n = 2, in which case
we get u = 1. Thus, there are exactly two ways to write 1 as the
sum of one of more consecutive integers: 1 = 1 and 1 + 0 = 1.

14. A circle with radius 2 is centered at (0, 0). The area of the smaller
region cut from the circle by the chord from (1, 1) to (1, 1) is

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

................................
...................................................
.............................................................................................................
..........

....
......
(C) The area of the circle is 2 and that of the .
.... ....
.. ...
... ....
... ...
... ...
.... ... ... ....
inscribed square 4, so the shaded area is 24
4
= ... ...
... ...
... ..

... ...
.. ..
... ...
... ... .... ...
2
1. ... ...
... ..
.......
.... ....
. ..
.................................................................

...... . . . ...
........
...............................
15. In a math class of size 50, the average score on the final exam is 68.
The best ten exams are all 100. The average of the other 40 is

(A) 50 (B) 55 (C) 60 (D) 65 (E) 70

(C) Since the average of all 50 scores is 68, the sum of the scores is
50 68 = 3400, and the sum of the other 40 scores is 3400 1000 =
2400. Therefore the average of these 40 scores is 2400/40 = 60.

16. What is the base x for which logx 729 = 4?

(A) 3 3 (B) 7/ 2 (C) 5 (D) 2 5 (E) 3

(A) logx 729 = logx 36 = 4 x4 = 36 = (3 3)4 x = 3 3.

17. For what positive value of c does the line y = x + c intersect the
circle x2 + y 2 = 1 in exactly one point?
3
(A) ln 4 (B) 41/3 (C) (D) 2 (E) sin1 (1)
2

(D) Since x2 + (x + c)2 = 1, we must have x2 + x2 2xc + c2 = 1, so

2x2 2xc+c2 1 = 0 for exactly one value of c. Thus the discriminant
of thequadratic must be zero. Hence, 4c2 4(2(c2 1)) = 0 and
c = 2.

18. If a, b and c satisfy a2 + b2 = 208, b2 + c2 = 164, and c2 + a2 = 244,

then a2 + b2 c2 =

(A) 36 (B) 20 (C) 108 (D) 120 (E) 180

(C) Subtract the second equation from the first to get a2 c2 = 44.
Conbine this with the third equation to get a2 = 144; then it follows
that c2 = 244 144 = 100, and b2 = 164 100 = 64.
19. A grocer has c pounds of coffee that are divided equally among k
sacks. She finds n empty sacks and decides to redistribute the coffee
equally among the k + n sacks. When this is done, how many fewer
pounds of coffee does each of the original sacks hold?
c c c cn cn
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
k+n k + cn k2 + kn k+n k2 + kn

(E) Originally each sack holds kc pounds of coffee. With k + n sacks,

c
each sack holds k+n pounds, so the difference is

c c c(k + n) ck cn
= = 2 .
k k+n k(k + n) k + kn

20. The quantities x, y, and z are positive and xy = z4 . If x is increased

by 50% and y is decreased by 25%, how must z be changed so that
the relation xy = z4 remains true?

(A) z must be decreased by 12.5%

(B) z must be increased by 12.5%
(C) z must be decreased by 25%
(D) z must be increased by 25%
(E) z must be increased by 50%

(B) The quantity xy becomes 32 x 34 y which represents a 1

8
= 12.5%
increase in z4 , hence also for z.

21. If N is the cube of a certain positive integer, which of the following is

the square of the next positive integer?
q q
(A) (N + 1) (B) 3 (N + 1) (C) N 2 + 1 (D) N 2/3 + 2N 1/3 + 1
(E) N 2/3 2N 1/3 + 1

(D) Let x denote the integer in question. Then N 1/3 = x, so (x+1)2 =

(N 1/3 + 1)2 = N 2/3 + 2 N 1/3 + 1.
22. In a certain class, two-thirds of the female students and half of the
male students speak Spanish. If there are three-fourths as many girls
as boys in the class, what fraction of the entire class speaks Spanish?
5 4 4 1
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) none of A, B, C or D
6 7 5 3

(B) Suppose there are m male students in the class. Then there are
3m/4 females. The number of Spanish speaking students is therefore
2 3m
3
4 + 12 m. Thus, the fraction of the class who can speak Spanish is
( 21 m + 21 m)/(m + 34 m) = 47 . OR
(B) Suppose there are 42 students in the class. Then 18 are female,
and 12 of these speak Spanish. There are 24 males and 12 of these
speak Spanish, so the fraction of the class who can speak Spanish is
24/42 = 4/7.

x3 y 3
23. If x 6= y and xy
= 8, then x2 + xy + y 2 =

(A) 2 (B) 5 (C) 8 (D) 64

(E) It cannot be determined from the information given.

x3 y 3
(C) The expression xy
is the same as x2 + xy + y 2 in case x 6= y,
so x2 + xy + y 2 = 8.

24. The number of integers from 1 to 10000 (inclusive) which are divisible
neither by 13 nor by 51 is

(A) 9030 (B) 9050 (C) 9070 (D) 9090 (E) 9110

(B) By the principle of inclusion-exclusion, the number is

10000 10000 10000
     
10000 + =
13 51 13 51
10000 769 196 + 15 = 9050.
25. In order that 9986860883748524N5070273447265625 equal 199510 , the
letter N should be replaced by the digit

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 4 (D) 7 (E) 8

(B) Because 1995 is divisible by 3, all its higher powers are divisible
by 9. The principle of casting out nines says that any positive integer
differs from the sum of its digits by a multiple of 9. Hence the sum of
the digits of 199510 must also be divisible by 9. This requires that N
be replaced by 2.

26. If x = a+biis a complex number such that x2 = 3+4i and x3 = 2+11i

where i = 1, then a + b =

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

(B)

x3
x =
x2
2 + 11i 3 4i
=
3 + 4i 3 4i
6 + (33 8)i 44i2
=
9 16i2
(6 + 44) + 25i
=
9 + 16
50 + 25i
=
25

= 2 + i.
27. Three chords in a circle have lengths a, b, and c, where c = a + b. If
the chord of length a subtends an arc of 30 and the chord of length b
subtends an arc of 90 , then the number of degrees in the smaller arc
subtended by the chord of length c is

(A) 120 (B) 130 (C) 140 (D) 150 (E) 160

(D) Let O be the center of the circle as shown with diameter AC

.............................
.........
of length d and chord AB of length c. Let ......
.....
......
.....
.....
....... B
. .... ..
_ ...
.............
.... ....... .....
AB= . Then ACB = 2 . Since 4ABC
6 ..
. ............ ....................
...................................................
..... ......
..
..
A ...
......................................
.. C
...
is inscribed in a semicircle, 6 ABC is a right ....
... O .. ...
... ...
.... ...
angle and c = d sin 2 . Then for chords of .....
......
........
......................................
.....

lengths a and b in the same circle, with a

subtending an arc of 30 and b subtending an arc of 90 , a = d sin 15
and b = d sin 45 . Since c = a + b, sin 2 = sin 15 + sin 45 . For any
angle u, sin( 3 + u) sin( 3 u) = sin u. Letting u = 15 and noticing
that 3 = 60 , we get sin 75 = sin 15 +sin 45 . Hence 2 = 75 and the
number of degrees in the smaller arc subtended by a chord of length
c is 150.
 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
1997 HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTEST
March 10, 1997
Problems with solutions

1. Which of the five fractions is largest?

25038876541 25038876543 25038876545
(A) (B) (C)
25038876543 25038876545 25038876547
25038876547 25038876549
(D) (E)
25038876549 25038876551

n
(E) The numbers are all of the form n+2 for n equal to five con-
n
secutive odd numbers. Since n+2 gets larger as n gets larger, the
fraction E is the largest.

2. An eight-bit binary word is a sequence of eight digits each of which is either 0

or 1. The number of different eight-bit binary words is

(A) 32 (B) 64 (C) 128 (D) 256 (E) 512

(D) Since there are two choices for each bit, the number of different
words is 28 = 256.
3. If P (x) = 2x3 + kx2 + x, find k such that x 1 is a factor of P (x).

(A) 3 (B) 1/3 (C) 0 (D) 1/3 (E) 3

(A) The value of k that works is the one for which P (1) = 0
since x r is a factor of P exactly when P (r) = 0. So we have
P (1) = 2 + k + 1 = 0, and k = 3.

1
4. If log2 x + log2 5 = log2 x2 log2 14, then x =

(A) 0 (B) 70 (C) both 0 and 70 (D) log2 70 (E) 270

(B) The given equation can be transformed to get

x2
5x =
14
which can be solved for x to yield x = 70. Since log2 0 is undefined,
0 is not a possible value of x.

5. Which of the following could be the exact value of n4 , where n is a positive

integer?

(A) 1.6 1020 (B) 1.6 1021 (C) 1.6 1022 (D) 1.6 1023 (E)
1.6 1024

(B) Only 1.6 1021 = 16 1020 is a perfect fourth power of an integer.

6. The following table gives the distribution of families in the town of Colville in
1991 by the number of children. If there were 5000 families, how many families
had no children.
Number of Children 0 1 2 3 4 or more
Percent of Families n% 19% 18% 10% 9%

(A) 2000 (B) 2200 (C) 2350 (D) 2500 (E) 2800

(B) Exactly 19 + 18 + 10 + 9 = 56 percent of the families in the

table have one or more children. Therefore, n = 100 56 = 44 and
44% of the families have no children. Finally, .44 5, 000 = 2, 200.

2
7. A chemist has a solution consisting of 5 ounces of propanol and 17 ounces of
water. She would like to change the solution into a 40% propanol solution
by adding z ounces of propanol. Which of the following equations should she
solve in order to determine the value of z?
5 40 z+5 40 z+5 40
(A) = (B) = (C) =
z + 17 100 22 100 17 100
z+5 40 z+5 40
(D) = (E) =
z + 17 100 z + 22 100

(E) The new volume must be 22 + z and the amount of propanol

is 5 + z, so the fraction (z + 5)/(z + 22) must be 0.4.

8. How many integers n satisfy |n3 222| < 888?

(A) 11 (B) 17 (C) 18 (D) 19 (E) 20

(D) The given equation is equivalent to 888 < n3 222 < 888
which in turn is eqivalent to 666 < n3 < 1110, which has the
integral solutions 8, 7, 6, . . . , 0, 1, 2, . . . , 10 of which there are
19.
9. Seven women and five men attend a party. At this party each man shakes
hands with each other person once. Each woman shakes hands only with men.
How many handshakes took place at the party?

(A) 31 (B) 35 (C) 45 (D) 56 (E) 66

  There are 5 7 = 35 handshakes between men and women, and

(C)
5
2
= 10 handshakes exchanged among the men, for a total of 45
handshakes.

3
10. Suppose ab < 0. Which of the following points could not satisfy y = ax + b?

(A) (0, 1) (B) (1, 0) (C) (1, 0) (D) (0, 1) (E) (1, 1)

(C) The lines y = x 1, y = x + 1, and y = x + 2 contain

the points (0, 1), (1, 0), (0, 1), and (1, 1), but (1, 0) cannot be-
long to such a line. If a line with positive slope contains (1, 0),
that line must also have a positive y-intercept, and if a line with
negative slope contains (1, 0), that line must also have a negative
y-intercept.

11. Let x and y be two real numbers satisfying x + y = 6 and xy = 7. Find the
value of x3 + y 3 .

(A) 55 (B) 62 (C) 78 (D) 90 (E) 216

(D) Expand (x + y)3 to yield

216 = 63 = (x + y)3
= x3 + 3x2 y + 3xy 2 + y 3
= x3 + y 3 + 3xy(x + y)
= x3 + y 3 + 3 7 6
= x3 + y 3 + 126.

So x3 + y 3 = 216 126 = 90.

4
12. In the figure below, the two triangles are right triangles with sides of lengths
x, y, p, and q, as shown. Given that x2 +y 2 +p2 +q 2 = 72, find the circumference
of the circle.

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 12 (D) 24 (E) 36

...............................
.............. ........
........ .......
....... ......
...... .....
.....
......... ... q .....
.....
..
...
.
. ...... .....

.......
. ... ..
... ..... ...
.. .... ...

....
...
.
p ..
. .
......
......
.... ...
...
...
... .
. .
..... ...
... ..
. .
.... ...
.......
...
...
...
O ...
...
...
.
..
..
... ... .
.
... .... .
... ... ...
... ... ...
..
...
...
....
.....
y ...
...
...
...
.
....
....
.
....
..... ... ....
..... ... .....
......
.......
........
.............
x ... ..........
. ...
.........

.................................

(C) Note that x2 + y 2 + p2 + q 2 = 2r2 = 72, so r2 = 36, and r = 6.

Hence the circumference is 12.
13. Three integers a, b and c have a product of 9! and satisfy a b c. What is
the smallest possible value of c a?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 42 (E) 51

(C) From the factorization 9! = 27 34 5 7, we see that a, b and c

must have prime factors among the primes 2, 3, 5, and 7. Because
the cube root of 9! is close to 70, and a b c = 9!, it follows that
c a is smallest when a and c are close to 70. Trying 2 5 7 for one
of the factors leaves 26 34 = 722 . Thus c a 72 70 = 2. To see
that no smaller difference is possible, note that 9! is not a perfect
cube so c a cannot be zero. If c a = 1, then there is an integer
n such that either n (n + 1)2 = 9! or n2 (n + 1) = 9!. But n = 70
makes these two left sides too small, and n = 71 makes them both
too big.

5
14. A 4 4 4 cube is made from 32 white unit cubes and 32 black unit cubes.
What is the largest possible percent of black surface area?
2
(A) 50% (B) 60% (C) 64% (D) 66 % (E) 75%
3

(E) Put all the black unit cubes at the corners and along the edges
of the big cube so they contribute either 3 or 2 square units to
the surface. There are just enough black unit cubes to fill all eight
corner positions and all the other 122 = 24 edge positions, so each
face of the big cube is three-forths covered by black unit squares.

15. Suppose a, b and c are real numbers for which

a a
> 1 and < 0.
b c
Which of the following must be correct?

(A) a + b c > 0 (B) a > b (C) (a c)(b c) > 0

(D) a + b + c > 0 (E) abc > 0

(C) First, note that a and b agree in signs and that c has a different
sign. Thus, a, b and c have the same sign. Therefore, a c and
b c have the same sign. Hence their product must be positive.
None of the other inequalities need be true.

16. The product of the digits of Ashleys age is the same nonzero number as it
was six years ago. In how many years will it be the same again?

(A) 14 (B) 18 (C) 19 (D) 24 (E) 26

(B) Suppose Ashley is 10u + v years old. Then uv = (u 1)(v + 4).

Clearing uv, we get u = 2 and v = 4. It will be another 18 years
before the product of the digits of Ashleys age is again 8.

6
17. It takes Mathias and Anders 1188 hours to paint the Gaffney Peach. It takes
Anders and Tellis 1540 hours to paint the peach; for Tellis and Hal, it takes
1890 hours; and for Hal and Mathias, it takes 1386 hours. How long would it
take all four of them working together to paint the peach?

(A) 364.7 hours (B) 412.3 hours (C) 670.7 hours

(D) 729.5 hours (E) 824.6 hours

(D) There is more information given than is needed. Let m, a, t, h

denote the rates, in jobs per hour, of Mathias, Anders, Tellis and
Hal respectively. Then (m + a) 1188 = 1 and (t + h) 1890 = 1.
1 1
From this it follows that 1 = (m + a + t + h)x = ( 1188 + 1890 )1
and from this we get x = 729.473 . . . 729.5 hours.

18. The number N = 700, 245 can be expressed as the product of three two-digit
integers, x, y, and z. What is x + y + z?

(A) 210 (B) 267 (C) 269 (D) 271 (E) 272

(B) Factor N into primes to get N = 34 5 7 13 19. The only way

to divide these primes into three groups each with product less than
100 is 34 , 5 19, and 7 13 since the 19 cannot be matched with a 3
(3 19 = 57 and 57 99 99 < N ), so the sum is 81 + 95 + 91 = 267.

19. In how many points can a line intersect the graph of the function f (x) =
x2 sin(x)?
I. no points
II. one point
III. infinitely many points

(A) II only (B) III only (C) I and II only (D) I and III only
(E) II and III only

(E) The x-axis intersects the graph infinitely many times and ver-
tical lines intersect just once. No line in the plane is disjoint from
the graph of f .

7
20. Cifarelli Builders has just completed developing a section of homes in South-
east Charlotte. The homes are numbered consecutively starting with the ad-
dress 1. The contractor in charge of ordering the single-digit brass numerals
that will be used on each house for its address has determined that 999 nu-
merals need to be ordered. How many homes are in the development?

(A) 200 (B) 369 (C) 379 (D) 381 (E) 999

(B) Construct a table.

House number #of digits used

1-9 91=9
10-99 90 2 = 180
100-199 100 3 = 300
200-299 100 3 = 300
300-399 100 3 = 300

The first four rows show that 789 of the 999 digits are used on the
first 299 houses. That leaves 210 more digits to be used on the
remaining houses. This is just enough for 70 more houses. So there
are 299 + 70 = 369 houses in the development.

21. Eight people Amy, Bee, Cindy, Dennis, Eli, Fay, Gil, and Hilary attend a
dinner party. They need to be seated around a circular table, but Cindy and
Gil, the hosts, choose not to be seated next to one another. How many different
arrangements are there which seat Gil in the seat nearest the kitchen (so he
can serve the dinner)?

(A) 3600 (B) 4320 (C) 4800 (D) 38880 (E) 43200

(A) Once Gils seat is determined, there are 6 ways to choose the
person to his right and 5 ways to choose the person to his left. After
that there are 5! ways to arrange the others, so the total number
of arrangements is 6 5 5! = 3600.

8
22. How many points (x, y) satisfy the equation

|x2 1| + |y 2 4| = 0?

(A) 2 (B) 4 (C) 6 (D) 8 (E) infinitely many

(B) The sum of two nonnegative numbers is zero if and only if they
are both zero. The only values for which |x2 1| = 0 are x = 1
and those for which |y 2 4| = 0 are y = 2. Hence there are four
ordered pair solutions:(1, 2), (1, 2), (1, 2), (1, 2).

23. Two circles with centers O and O0 have radii of 9 inches and 12 inches, re-
spectively. The centers are 28 inches apart. How far from the center of circle
O is the intersection of the line joining the centers with the common internal
tangent P P 0 ?

(A) 9 in. (B) 10 in. (C) 11 in. (D) 12 in. (E) 13 in.

(D) Let A denote the point of intersection of OO0 and

P P 0 and let x = OA. Using similar triangles we can
x 9
write 28x = 12 from which it follows that x = 12.
...................................................
.......... .......
........ ....... 0
.......
P
..... ......
....
. ......
...... .....
......... ...........................................
..... ......... .......
...... ......... ....... ......
... ...... ...... .....
.
.... ..... .
....... .....
... .......
. ..
... .....
. .......... .. ....
... .
... ..... .. ...
... . .. .... ...
... .....
.... ... ..... . .
.. ...
...
... ... ...... .... ...
... ... ..... .. ...
...
... ...
... A
.....
..... .
.
.
..
O ...

O0
...... . .
...
... .
... .....
.....
...
. ...
..
...
. ..
... ... ..... ..
..... ... ..
... ...
... ... ..... ..
... ... ..... ...
....... ...
... ... ........ ..
..
... ... .
..
..... ..
... . ..
... ..... ...
... ... ..... .....
... ... ..... .....
.... .... ..... .....
.....
.....
..... ....
....
... P ..
.........
..........
.....................................
........
..
...
..... .....
...... ......
......
....... ....
.. ......
.......... .....
...................... ............................
.....

9
24. Suppose a and b are positive integers neither of which is a multiple of 3. Then
the remainder when a2 + b2 is divided by 3

(A) must be 0 (B) must be 1 (C) must be 2

(D) may be 1 or 2 but not 0 (E) may be 0, 1 or 2

(C) Since (3n + 1)2 = 9n2 + 6n + 1 and (3n + 2)2 = 9n2 + 12n + 4
are both one bigger than a multiple of 3, the sum a2 + b2 must be
two bigger than a multiple 3.

25. For a tetrahedron ABCD, a plane P is called a middle plane if all four distances
from the vertices A, B, C, and D to the plane P are the same. How many
middle planes are there for a given tetrahedron?

(A) 1 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 6 (E) 7

(E) A plane subdivides three-space into two half-spaces. There are

just two cases to consider:
1) Three vertices of tetrahedron lie in one half-space and the fourth
one lies in the other half-space. There are 4 middle planes of this
type, one for each of the four faces. The middle planes go through
middle points of edges with common vertex.
2) Two vertices of tetrahedron line in one half-space and two other
vertices lie in the other half-space. There exist 3 such middle
planes because the tetrahedron has 6 edges. Each middle plane
goes through the middle lines of two faces which are parallel to the
common edge of these faces.

10
26. A snickel is a bug which crawls among the lattice points (points with only
integer coordinates) of the plane. Each move of a snickel is eight units hor-
izontally or vertically followed by three units in a perpendicular direction.
For example, from (0, 0) the snickel could move to any of the eight locations
(8, 3), (3, 8). What is the least number of moves required to get from
(0, 0) to (19, 0)?

(A) 7 (B) 9 (C) 11 (D) 13 (E) no such sequence of moves exists

(C) Let a represent the number of moves of type (3, 8) ( a negative

a refers to moves of type (3, 8), etc.), b, the number of moves
of type (8, 3); c, the number of moves of type (3, 8); and d, the
number of moves of type (8, 3). Then

a(3, 8) + b(8, 3) + c(3, 8) + d(8, 3) = (19, 0)

for any path from (0, 0) to (19, 0). Check to see that a = 2, b =
3, c = 1 and d = 5 works. Thus, 11 moves will suffice. On the
other hand, we must have

3(a + c) + 8(b + d) = 19

and
8(a c) + 3(b d) = 0.
But a + c is odd a c is odd a c 6= 0
b d 6= 0 |b d| 8 and |a c| 3 so that no
sequence with fewer than 11 moves can work. The sequence
(0, 0), (3, 8), (11, 5), (19, 2), (16, 10), (8, 7), (0, 4), (8, 1), (11, 9), (19, 6),
(11, 3), (19, 0) is an example of an 11 move sequence that works.

11
 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
1998 HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTEST
March 9, 1998
with Solutions

1. Find the sum

1 1 1
+ + + .
12 23 10 11

10 11
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) (D) (E) none of A, B, C or D
11 12

1
 (C) Each summand sum can be split into the difference of two unit
1 1 1
fractions: + + + =
12 23 10 11
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
       
1 + + + + =
2 2 3 3 4 10 11
1 10
1 = .
11 11
Alternatively, use your calculator.
2. The mean test score in a math class with 27 students was 72. A student
who scored 85 was moved to another class. What was the mean score of
the remaining 26 students?
(A) 69.5 (B) 70 (C) 70.5 (D) 71 (E) 71.5
(E) The sum of the 27 scores was 27 72 = 1944, so the new mean must
be (1944 85)/26 = 71.5.
3. Suppose the value of a new car declines linearly over a ten year period
from the original value of $20,000 to the value $2,000. What is the value
of the car after six years?
(A) $8, 800 (B) $9, 200 (C) $11, 000
(D) $12, 800 (E) $13, 200
(B) The value of the car decreases by $1800 each year, so the value after
6 years is 20, 000 6 1800 = $9200.
4. Which of the five fractions has the smallest value?
250,386,765,412 250,384,765,412 250,385,765,412
(A) (B) (C)
250,384,765,412 250,383,765,412 250,384,765,412
250,386,765,412 250,387,765,412
(D) (E)
250,385,765,412 250,386,765,412
(E) Option E is the smallest value:
250,386,765,412 2,000,000
A= = 1+
250,384,765,412 250,384,765,412
250,384,765,412 1,000,000
B= = 1+
250,383,765,412 250,383,765,412
250,385,765,412 1,000,000
C= = 1+
250,384,765,412 250,384,765,412
250,386,765,412 1,000,000
D= = 1+
250,385,765,412 250,385,765,412
250,387,765,412 2 1,000,000
E= = 1+ .
7. In triangle ABC, AB = x, BC = x + 1, and AC = x + 2. Which of the
following must be true?

i. x 1

ii. x 5 2
iii. 6 C 60
C
...
... ..

... ...
... ....
....
. ...
. ...
... ...
...
..... ...
...
.... ...
.... ...
.... ...
..
x+2 ..
.
..
.
.
..
. ...
...
...
...
x+1
.... ...
.... ...
.... ...
.... ...
.... ...
.... ...
... ...
.
.. ...
.. ...
... ...

.
.
A x B
(A) i only (B) ii only (C) iii only
(D) i and ii only (E) i and iii only

(E) Because AB + BC AC, it follows that 2x + 1 x + 2, so i. is

true. For any x 1, there
is a unique triangle with the given lengths, so
x could be larger than 5 2. Hence ii. need not be true. Since

sin C sin A sin B

= = ,
x x+1 x+2
angle C is opposite the smallest side, so it is smaller than angles A and
B. Because the sum of the three angles is 180 , it follows that 3C 180 ,
hence iii. is true.
8. Each of the cards shown below has a number on one side and a letter on the
other. How many of the cards must be turned over to prove the correctness of
the statement:

Every card with a vowel on one side has a prime number on the
other side.

3
 A B E 4 5 6 8

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

(E) We must turn over every card with a non-prime number (to be sure
it doesnt have a vowel on the other side), and every card with a vowel
(to be sure it has a prime on the other side). Hence we must overturn
five cards.
9. In right triangle ABC, the point D on AB is 4 units from A, 6 CDB = 60
and 6 CAB = 30 . What is the altitude h?

(A) 3 (B) 2 3 (C) 14 (D) 4 (E) 3 2

.
C
........
..........
....... ..
.
...
......... .....
...... ...
.
....... ...
....... ..
....... ...
...
.........
. .
..
...... .
.......
.......
.......
...
...
..
h
.
.........
. ....
.
.. .
....... ...
..
.......
....... ...
....... ..
.
...
........ .....
.. ..
....... 30 ... 60

A 4 D B
(B) Let x = DC, y = DB, = 6 ACD, and = 6 DCB. It is easy to
see that = = 30 , so x = 4 and y = 12 x = 2. Then h2 = x2 y 2 =

42 22 = 12, so h = 2 3.
.... .
...
C
.......
....... ...
....... ...
. .
...
........ .....
...... ...
.
.......
....... ...
..
....... ...
.......
.
......
.......
..
...
x ...
...
.
h
....... ..
...
....... ...
...
.........
. ...
....... ...
.
....... ...
.......
....... ...
.
...
........ .....
.... 30 ... 60

A 4 D y B

4
10. The numbers x, y, and z satisfy

|x + 2| + |y + 3| + |z 5| = 1.

Which of the following could be |x + y + z|?

(A) 0 (B) 2 (C) 5 (D) 7 (E) 10

(A) By the triangle inequality, note that

|x + y + z| = |x + 2 + y + 3 + z 5| |x + 2| + |y + 3| + |z 5| = 1.

Hence A is the only possible value. On the other hand, x = 2.5, y = 3

and z = 5.5 satisfies the equation, so |x + y + z| can be zero.
11. Suppose a < 0 and |a| x a. Evaluate |x + 1| |x 2|.

(A) 3 (B) 1 (C) 2x + 1 (D) 2x + 3 (E) 3

(A) Divide both sides of the second inequality by |a| to obtain x 1.

In this case |x + 1| = (x + 1) and |x 2| = 2 x, so |x + 1| |x 2| =
(x + 1) (2 x) = 3.
12. The set of points satisfying the three inequalities

y 0, y x, and y 6 x/2

is a triangular region with an area of

(A) 12 (B) 18 (C) 24 (D) 36 (E) 48

(C) The vertices of the triangle can be obtained by solving the equations
simultaneously in pairs: (0, 0), (12, 0), and (4, 4). The triangle has base
12 and altitude 4, hence area 24.
C...
......
.. .........
..... .......
..... .......
..... .......
..
.....
. .......
.......
..
..... .......
....
..

A D B

5
13. If x > 5, which of the following is smallest?
5 5 x 5 x+1
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
x x1 5 x+1 5

(D) The fractions x5 and x+1

5
are both larger than 1. The other three are
less than 1 and have the same numerator, so the smallest is the one with
the largest denominator.
14. The graph of the quadratic function y = ax2 + bx + c is shown below.
..
y ..
.. ..
..
.. ..
.. ..
.. ..
... ....
... .
... ..
... ...
... ....
.. .
.
.. ..
...
...
... .
...
...
.
x
... .. .
.... .....
......

Which of the following is true?

(A) ac < 0 and ab < 0 (B) ac < 0 and ab > 0

(C) ac > 0 and ab < 0 (D) ac > 0 and ab > 0
(E) At least one of a, b, and c could be zero.

(A) The y-intercept c is negative, and the constant a is positive since the
parabola opens upward. The x-coordinate of the vertex which is visibly
positive, is given by the formula x = b/2a. Since a > 0, the number
b/2a is positive only if b < 0. Thus, ab < 0 and ac < 0.
15. A drawer contains exactly six sockstwo are green, two are red, two are blue. If
two socks are selected at random without replacement, what is the probabilty
that they match?
1 1 1 1 1
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
6 5 4 3 2

(B) Once the first sock has been picked, the probability that the second
matches it is one-fifth.

6
16. Of the members of three athletic teams at Harding High, 21 are on the bas-
ketball team, 26 are on the baseball team, and 29 are on the football team.
A total of 14 play both baseball and basketball; 15 play both baseball and
football; and 12 play football and basketball. There are eight who play all
three sports. How many students play on at least one of the teams?

(A) 43 (B) 49 (C) 51 (D) 76 (E) 84

(A) Construct a Venn diagram as shown below. Start with the fact that
8 students play all three sports................................. ................................
.... ...... . ......
..... ..... .......... .....
..... ........ ....
... .... ...
... ... .... ...
...
Basketball .... .. ..
. .
................................. ... Baseball
.... .
..... .
... .
...... ... ... ......
...
...
... ..
.
.....
.
8
... ..
.... ..
..... .
.
.
....
.
...
.
... ....
..
... .
.. . . .
..
.... . . ...
.....
....... ....
.. ..... .... .....
..... ........... .. .....
.................................. .....................................
... ..
... ...
...
... ...
..... ...
...... .....
......... ......
.........................

Football
Since 12 play both football and........basketball,
........................ .........
we have:
........... ............
.. ...... . ......
...... ..... ......... .....
.... ........ ....
... . ...
... .....
... .. .....
.
...
...
Basketball .....
... ..... .... . ...............
.
...... .... ... .............
.....
...
..
Baseball
.... ... ..
...
...
...
... .
.
.
...
..
.
8
... ..
... .
. .
.
. .....
.
... .
.
.
..
. .
...
.....
......
...
..
........ ....
4 ......
. .
......
.... .........
........
...
...
. ......
....
...
.

............................ .................................
... ..
... .
... ...
.... ...
..... ....
....... .
...
......
............................. .

Football
Proceeding in this manner until all the given information is used yields
the following totals: ......................
.......... ......................
..........
...... ...... . ......
..... ..... .......... .....
.... ........ ....
... ..... ...
.. .. ..... ...
Basketball .....
...
.
3 6 .
.... ..
.
............
............ ................. 5
...
...
.
Baseball
..... ... .. ..... ..
...
...
... ..
.
.
...
4 8..
7
. ... .
.... ..
.....
.
.
. ..
....
....
. .
......
... ... .
..... ... ... ... ...
...... .. ..... ...... .....
........ .... ...... ............ .. .....
.............................. ................................
... .
...
... 10 ...
...
..... ....
......
........ ...
.......
...........................

Football
Hence the total number of members is 43.

7
17. Five test scores have a mean (average score) of 91, a median (middle score)
of 92 and a mode (most frequent score) of 95. The sum of the two lowest test
scores is

(A) 172 (B) 173 (C) 174 (D) 178 (E) 179

(B) The five scores must be of the form x, y, 92, 95, 95 and have a sum
of 5 91 = 455. Therefore x + y = 173.
18. In his last will, a farmer asked that his horses be distributed among his four
sons. The oldest was to get one third of the herd, the second oldest, one
fourth of the herd, and each of the two youngest ones was to get one fifth of
the herd. When the sons read the will, they were puzzled because none of
them were going to get an integer number of horses. At that moment, they
discovered that a baby horse had just been born. Each son would receive an
integer number of horses, but the baby horse would be left over. How many
horses did the farmer have originally?

(A) 29 (B) 59 (C) 89 (D) 119 (E) 239

(B) Suppose the farmer originally had N horses. Splitting N + 1 horses

as described in the will and recalling that one horse is not distributed
leads to
N + 1 N + 1 2(N + 1)
+ + =N
3 4 5
Adding the fractions yields

59(N + 1)
=N
60
Hence N = 59.

8
 a
19. If a, b, c and d are four positive numbers such that b
< dc , then

(A) ab < dc (B) a + c < b + d (C) a + d < b + c

a+c c ca c
(D) < (E) <
b+d d db d

(D) Since ab < dc , we have ad < bc. Add cd to both sides: ad+cd < bc+dc
so d(a + c) < (b + d)c. Dividing both sides by d(b + d) yields the result.
To see that the other four options fail, let a = 5, b = c = 3, and d = 1.
This choice eliminates options A, B, and C while a = 1, b = c = 2, and
d = 3 shows that E is not always true.
20. How many odd three-digit numbers have three digits different?

(A) 60 (B) 288 (C) 300 (D) 320 (E) 405

(D) Since the number is odd, there are 5 ways to choose the units digit.
There are two cases, which depends on the tens digit.
(a) If the tens digit is 0, then 8 ways to choose the hundreds digit for a
total of 8 1 5 = 40 numbers of the type required.
(b) If the tens digit is not 0, there are 8 choices for it. Then there are
7 ways to choose the hundreds digit for a total of 7 8 5 = 280
numbers of the type required.
Thus there are 40 + 280 = 320 such numbers altogether.

OR

Let the three digit number be 100a + 10b + c with digit a being one
of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; digit b being one of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; digit
c being one of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. One distinguishes four cases a, b both even:
There are 4 4 5 = 80 possibilities. a, b both odd: There are 5 4 3 = 60
possibilities. a odd and b even: There are 5 5 4 = 100 possibilities. a
even and b odd: There are 4 5 4 = 80 possibilities. Taken together, it
adds up to 80 + 60 + 100 + 80 = 320 possibilities.

9
21.
What is the area of the region common to two unit circles whose centers are
2 apart?

..................
........... . . ..
...................
........ . . . . . ..
..
...............................
.... . . . . . . . .
.... . . . . . . . ..
... ....................... ....
1 .......................
..................................
.. . . . . . . ...
.. . . . . . .......
.....................
.......................
1
1 1
 
(A) 1 (B) (C) 1 (D) 1 (E)
2 4 2 4 2 2

(D) Half of the unshaded area is 1 4
so the shaded area is

 
12 1 = 1.
4 2

22. Five circles with equal radii are situated in the plane so that each is tangent
to two others and externally tangent to a unit circle. Find the radius of each
of the five circles, rounded to two decimal places.

(A) 1.39 (B) 1.41 (C) 1.43 (D) 1.45 (E) 1.47

(C) The centers of the circles are the vertices of a regular pentagon.
Thus, the angle between adjacent circles is 360 /5 = 72 , and in the
right triangle OCD we have 6 COD = 36 . Hence sin 36 = R+1 R
from
which it follows that R 1.43.
..................................
........ ......
...... .....
..... ....
.
..... ...
...
.... ...
.... ...
... ...
..
.... ..
... ......... ...
... . ... ..
...
... R .
...
.
.. R ...
...
...
.
...
.
.
.
... .. ... .................................
D
..... .. ... .......... .......
.....
....... .... . .
........
.
......
.....
. .. .. . .. . .
..... ........................................... ..... .. . ....
........
.
.
...
.......
.
.... .......................
.. ............ ...
R ...
....
..
...
...
...
....
...
1 .
. .
..
. .
.... ........... ........
.
...
...
..
...
...
... ..... .... .. .
..
...... ...
...
...
...
O 1 ..
.
.
. ..
.
.. ....
R C ....
.
..... . ... .
...... .... ...
............................... ....
..... ....
...... .....
........ ......
..................................

10
23. If Sam and Peter are among 6 men who are seated at random in a row, the
probability that exactly 2 men are seated between them is

(A) 1/10 (B) 1/8 (C) 1/5 (D) 1/4 (E) 4/15

(C) The total number of the permutations of 6 is 6! = 6 5 4 3 2 1.

There are 6 4! outcomes with exactly two men seated between Sam and
Peter. To see this note that the blanks can be filled in in four factorial
ways: S, , , P, , for each of the six possible positions of the S and
P . The probability is therefore 6 4!/6! = 1/5.

OR

Note that once Peter has been seated, there is just one place out of the
five remaining for Sam to sit so that the two are separated by exactly
two men.
24. Four congruent triangular corners are cut off an 1113 rectangle. The resulting
octagon has eight edges of equal length. What is this length?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

(C) Let x and y be the sides of the triangles on the sides of the rectangle
of lengths 13 and 11. Because all sides of the octagon are equal
q
x2 + y 2 = 13 2x
13 2x = 11 2y

The second equation yields y = x 1. Plugging into the first equation

and squaring yields

x2 + (x 1)2 = (13 2x)2

2x2 2x + 1 = 169 52x + 4x2
168 50x + 2x2 = 0
x2 25x + 84 = 0

This quadratic equation has the two solution x = 21 or x = 4. Only the

last solution
can occur since 13 2x > 0. One gets y = x 1 = 3 and
finally x2 + y 2 = 5 for the side of the octagon.

11
25. Evaluate the continued fraction
1
2+ 1
2+ 1
2+ 2+

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 1 + 2 (D) 1 + 3 (E) 3

1 1
(C) Let x = 2 + 1 . Then 2 + x
= x from which it follows that
2+ 1
2+ 2+

2+ 44(1)
x2 2x 1 = 0. Because x > 0, we have x = 2
=1+ 2.
26. Let x and b be positive integers. Suppose that x is represented as 324 in base
b, and x is represented as 155 in base b + 2. What is b?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 9

(A) Note that

3b2 + 2b + 4 = 1(b + 2)2 + 5(b + 2) + 5

= b2 + 4b + 4 + 5b + 10 + 5
= b2 + 9b + 19,

so 2b2 7b 15 = 0. Thus, (b 5)(2b + 3) = 0. Only b = 5 makes sense.

12

X 1 2
27. It is known that 2
= . What is the value of
n=1 n 6

X 1
2
?
n=1 (2n 1)

2 2 2 2 2 2
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
36 12 8 7 9

(C) Notice that

X 1 X 1 X 1
2
= 2
+ 2
.
n=1 n n=1 (2n 1) n=1 (2n)

Therefore,

X 1 X 1 1X 1
2
= 2

n=1 (2n 1) n=1 n 4 n=1 n2

3X 1
=
4 n=1 n2
3 2
!
=
4 6
2
=
8

13
28. In triangle ABC, AB = 20, BC = 5, and 6 ABC = 60 . The triangle is re-
flected in the plane about the bisector of angle ABC to produce a new triangle
A0 BC 0 as shown. What is the area of the region enclosed by the union of the
two triangles?
B.

......
... ...
... .....
.... ...
. ...
... ...
... ...
..... ...
.... ...
C0 .
..
.
..
.
. .....
.. ........
..... .
.....
..
.
..... .....
C
........
...
..
. ....... .... ..
. ...
... ...... ...
.. ..........
...
....
. ......... .......... ...

.
.
.
.
...
..
.
.
.
.
....
.....
.
.
..
.....
D .....
.......
..
......
.
...
...
...
...
.
.. .
.... .
...... ...
.. ..
.. ..
..... ...
...
. ...
.... .
.. ..
. .....
.... ......... ..... .....
.. .....
. ..... ..
.. ....... ..... ...
..
. ... ...... ...
... ..... ..... ...
..... ..
......... ........
...........
.
.
. .......
. .

A A0

(A) 20 3 (B) 24 3 (C) 40 2 (D) 40 3 (E) 50 2

14
(D) Let the reflection of points A and C be A0 and C 0 respectively.
Label point D such that BD is the bisector of angle ABC and D is
on AC. Since angles ABD, A0 BD, CBD, and C 0 BD are all congruent,
the reflection places C 0 on the segment AB and A0 on the extension of
BC. The area of 4ABC is found to be [ABC] = 21 AB BC sin 6 ABC =
1

2
20 5 sin 60 = 25 3. The requested area is twice the area of triangle
ABD since BD lies on the line of reflection. Since BD is an angle
bisector, we have
AD AB 20
= = = 4 and
DC BC 5
2[ABD] = 2 (AD/AC) [ABC] = 2 (4/5) [ABC]

= (8/5) 25 3 = 40 3.

OR
Apply the law of cosines to 4ABC and obtain

x + y = 202 + 52 2 20 5 cos 60 = 5 13.

Apply the law of sines to triangles BCD and BAD to get

5 x
=
sin sin 30
and
20 y
= .
sin(180 ) sin 30

Thus x/y = 5/20 and y = 54 (x + y) = 4 13. Applying the law of sines to
4ABC yields
5 x+y
=
sin sin 60

which implies that sin = 2313 . Thus the desired area is 2 [ABD] =

2 21 20h = 20 y sin = 40 3.
C .....................
...
..
x D
.............
.............
...
. .....
........ .........................
... ....... ...
.............
5 .
.
...
.
.
.
................
........180....
....
.............
.............
y
.............
..
. ...
....... .
.
.............
.............
... .............
. ....h .............
.............
.. 30
. .
...
... ..
. .............
.
.. .......... ... .............
........ 30
.. ...................

B E A

15
 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
1999 HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTEST
March 8, 1999

1. The sides of a triangle are in the ratio 3 : 5 : 9. Which of the following words
best describes the triangle?

(A) obtuse (B) scalene (C) right (D) isosceles (E) impossible

(E) The triangle inequality, which states that the sum of any two
sides of a triangle is at least as large as the third side, can be invoked.
There are no such triangles.

2. The product of a positive number, its reciprocal, and its square is 7. Which
of the following is closest to the sum of the number and its reciprocal?

(A) 2.64 (B) 2.86 (C) 3.02 (D) 3.33 (E) 3.51

(C) Let x denote the number. Then it follows from the given infor-
mation that x 1/x x2 = 7. This means that x = 7. Since it is
given that x is positive, x + x1 2.645 + 1/2.645 3.02.

3. Given that a = 1/x, b = 9a, c = 1/b, d = 9c, e = 1/d, and a, b, c, and d are all
distinct non-zero numbers, then x must be the same as

(A) a (B) b (C) c (D) d (E) e

(D) Note that b = 9(1/x) = 9/x. Thus, c = x/9 and x = 9c = d.

q x=2
X
4. Let f (x) = (x 2)2 . Compute f (2x).
x=2

(A) 7 (B) 0 (C) 7 (D) 14 (E) 16

(D) Another way to write f is f (x) = |x 2|, so f (2x) = |2x 2|, and the
sum in question is

|2(2)2|+|2(1)2|+|2(0)2|+|2(1)2|+|2(2)2| = 6+4+2+0+2 = 14.

1
5. What is the product of the roots of

(x 1)(x 3) + (x 4)(x + 5) + (x 3)(x 7) = 0?

(A) 1260 (B) 420 (C) 4/3 (D) 10 (E) 36

(C) Group the terms together and factor (x 3) from the first two to get
(x1)(x3)+(x4)(x+5)+(x3)(x7) = (x3)[(x1)+(x7)]+(x
4)(x+5) = (x3)[(2x8)]+(x4)(x+5) = 2(x3)[(x4)]+(x4)(x+5) =
(x 4)[2(x 3) + (x + 5) = (x 4)(3x 1) = 0, so the product of the two
roots is 4 1/3 = 4/3.
OR
Combine the terms to get x2 4x + 3 + x2 + x 20 + x2 10x + 21 =
3x2 13x + 4 = 0 which is equivalent to

x2 13x/3 + 4/3 = 0,

the product of whose roots is the constant term, 4/3.

6. Let ABCD be a convex quadrilateral with the area s and let P, Q, R, and S
be the midpoints of sides AB, BC, CD, and DA respectively. The sum of the
areas of the triangles P BQ and RDS equals

(A) 3s/4 (B) 2s/3 (C) s/2 (D) s/4

(E) the ratio in question cannot be determined

(D) The area of P BQ is a quarter of the area of ABC and the area
of RDS is a quarter of ACD.

7. If f is a function such that f (3) = 2, f (4) = 2 and f (n+4) = f (n+3)f (n+2)

for all the integers n 0, what is the value of f (6)?

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

(E) it cannot be determined from the information given.

(D) f (6) = f (2 + 4) = f (5) f (4) = (f (4) f (3)) f (4) = 22 2 = 8.

2
8. Which one of the following five numbers can be expressed as the sum of the
squares of six odd integers (repetitions allowed).

(A) 1996 (B) 1997 (C) 1998 (D) 1999 (E) 2000

(C) The square of an odd number is one bigger than a multiple of 4:

(2k + 1)2 = 4k 2 + 4k + 1. Therefore the sum of squares of six odd
integers is necessarily 2 bigger than a multiple of 4. Only 1998 satisfies
this requirement. On the other hand, 1998 = 432 +92 +72 +32 +32 +12 .

9. There exist positive integers x, y, and z satisfying

28x + 30y + 31z = 365.

Compute the value of z 2x for some such triplet.

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 9

(A) There are two solutions, x = 1, y = 4, and z = 7; and x = 2, y = 1,

and z = 9. In both cases, z 2x = 5. Do you notice anything special
about the numbers 28, 30, 31, and 365?

OR

Using the notation of modular congruences,

28x + 30y + 31z 30x + 30y + 30z 2x + z

30(x + y + z) + z 2x
z 2x
365
5 (mod 10).

3
10. If x and y are positive integers for which

2(x y)2 + 4y 2 = 54,

then x could be

(A) 2 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 8 (E) 10

(C) Divide every term by 2 to get (x y)2 + 2y 2 = 27. Note that

27 2y 2 is an odd perfect square which could by 9 (for y = 3) or 25
(for y = 1). Both these lead to values of 6 for x. Other possible values
of x are 4, 0, and 6, but x = 6 is the only one for which both x
and y are positive.

11. Twelve lattice points are arranged along the edges of
a 3 3 square as shown. How many triangles have all
....
......
......
.... ..
three of their vertices among these points? One such .
..
.. .
.... ....
.... ..
.... ....
triangle is shown. .
....
..
....
.... ..
..
..
.

..
..... ....
.
....
..

(A) 48 (B) 64 (C) 204 (D) 220 (E) 256

(C) Every set of three points exceptthose

 which are collinear can be
12
the vertices of a triangle. There are 3 = 220 three element subsets,
 
and 4 43 = 16 which are collinear, so there are 220 16 = 204
triangles.

4
12. Let f be the function whose graph is shown. Which of the following represents
the graph of f (|x|)? . .. ... .... ..
...
... ...
..
... 4 ..
.
.
...
... ...
... ...
... ...
... ..
.
...
... 3 ...
... ...
... ...
... ....
... ..
... 2 ...
... ...
... ..
.
...
... ...
... ...
... ...
... 1 ..
.
... ...
...
... ...
..
... .
...
... ..
... ... .....
4 3 2 1 ... 1 ...
... ..2 3 4
... ...
.
...
... ...
... ...
... ..
... ..
... ...
... ...
... ...
.
..... ..
..... ....
....... ............
........

... .. .. ... .. . ... .. ... .. ..

... 4 ..... ... 4 ... ... 4 ... ... 4 .....
... ... ... ... ... ...
... 3 ....
. ... 3 ..
.. ... 3 ... ... 3 .....
... . ... .
. ... ..
. ... .
... 2 ..... ... .........2 ......
... .... ... 2 ... ... ................ 2 ...
... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ..
... .
1 .... ... ... 1 ..... .... ... 1 .... ... ... ... ..
1......
(A) ...
...
...
..
..
.
... (B) .....
...
.....
... ... (C) ...
...
...
.
.
...
... (D) ......
.. .... ...
432 ...1 ....1 2 3 4 4321 1 2 3 4 432 ...1 1 ....2 3 4 4321 1
1 2 3 4
... . ...
.... ..... .... . ......
......... .................. 2
3
4
... .. .
... ...
... ...
... ..
.
... ..
... .......................... ...
... ... ... ...
... .. ... ..
(E) ......
..
... ..
.... ...

(C) The functions shown are A, f (x); B, |f (x)|; C, the answer key;
D, |f (x)|; and E, |f (|x|)|.

5
13. Statistics have shown that in a certain college course, 65% of the students pass
the first time they take it. Among those who have to repeat it, 70% pass on the
second attempt, and among those who have to take it three times, 50% pass
on the third attempt. What percentage of students have to take the course
more than three times?

(A) 50% (B) 35% (C) 22.75% (D) 5.25% (E) 1%

(D) The percent of students who have to take the course twice is
35%. The percent of students who have to take the course 3 times is
.3 .35 = .105. The percent of students who have to take the course
more than 3 times is .3 .35 .5 = 0.0525.
14. Three integers a, b, and c have a product of 27,846 and the property that the
same number N results from each of the following operations:

a is divided by 6.
4 is added to b.
4 is subtracted from c.

What is a + b + c?

(A) 102 (B) 136 (C) 152 (D) 160 (E) 177

(B) Solve for a and c in terms of b to get (6b + 24) b (b + 8) = 27,846.

Thus b (b + 4) (b + 8) = 4641. Factor the right side to get 4641 =
3 7 13 17, which can be written in the form b (b + 4) (b + 8) only
when b = 13. Thus a + b + c = 102 + 13 + 21 = 136.

15. A non-constant polynomial function f (x) satisfies

f (4) = f (2) = f (1) = f (3) = 2.

What is the smallest possible degree of f ?

(A) 1 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 6

(C) The polynomial h(x) = f (x) 2 has four distinct zeros, and is
not constant. Therefore its degree is at least 4, and so is f s degree.

6
16. Let
|x| 2 if x 0

g(x) = x 3 if 0 < x < 4

3 x if 4 x
Find a number x such that g(x) = 4.

(A) 2 (B) 1 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 7

(E) Set each piece of g equal to 4 : |x| 2 = 4 has no solutions;

x 3 = 4 only for x = 1 which is not in the domain of that piece;
and
3 x = 4 only when x = 7, and 7 does belong to the domain of that
piece. Alternatively, you can plug into g the five options.

17. A cubic polynomial f (x) = ax3 + bx2 + cx + d has a graph which is tangent
to the x-axis at 2, has another x-intercept at 1, and has y-intercept at -2 as
shown. Find the constants a, b, c, and d. Then, a + b + c + d =

(A) 2 (B) 1 (C) 0 (D) 1 (E) 2

...
... ......
...
... 4
...
...
...
...
...
... 3
...
...
...
...
...
... 2
...
...
...
...
...
... 1
...
...
...
...
...
... ..
... ..........
...... ..... .....
4 3 2 1 ...
...
1 ......... 2 ....... 3 4
... ....
.
...
...
.
... ... ...
...
... 1 ... ...
....
. ...
... ..
. ...
... .
.. ...
... .
. ...
... ..
...
. ...
..... ..
.................. ...
2 ...
...
...
...
...
...
3 ...
...
...
...
...
...
4 ...
...
...

(B) The polynomial must be of the form f (x) = a(x 2)2 (x + 1)

because it has a double zero at 2 and a zero at 1. To solve for a,
note that f (0) = a(0 2)2 (0 + 1) = 2. It follows that a = 1/2 and
that a = 1/2, b = 3/2, c = 0, and d = 2, so their sum is 1.

7
18. Find the sum of all values of x that satisfy

|x + 1| + 3|x 2| + 5|x 4| = 20.

(A) 2 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 9 (E) 11

(C) Consider the four cases, x < 1, 1 < x < 2, 2 < x < 4, and 4 <
x. Each of these gives rise to a linear equation in x. Just two of these
have solutions in the appropriate intervals, x = 1 and x = 5. Their
sum is 6.
19. You have 10 coins, all of different weights and you can weigh them only in
pairs in a two-pan balance. What is the minimal numbers of weighings needed
to find the heaviest coin?

(A) 5 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 45

(B) Each time you compare the new coin with the most heavy from
the previous pair. You cannot do any better because the last coin
might be the heaviest.

20. The area of a circle circumscribed about a regular hexagon is 200. What is
the area of the hexagon?

(A) 60 3 (B) 600 (C) 1200 (D) 300 3 (E) 600 3

(D) A circle with an area of 200 = r2 has a radius of 10 2. A
regular hexagon is made up of six equilateral triangles each with side
equal to the radius of the circle. Since a hexagon has six sides the
sum of the angles is (4 2)180 = 720, so that each interior angle has
measure 120 . The side of the triangle bisects this angle resulting in a
306090 triangle.Using this information, the area of each triangle is
computed to be 50 3 so the area of the hexagon is 6 50 3 = 300 3.

21. From a group of three female students and two male students, a three student
committee is selected. If the selection is random, what is the probability that
exactly 2 females and 1 male are selected?

(A) 0.3 (B) 0.4 (C) 0.5 (D) 0.6 (E) 0.7

8
  
(D) There are just 53 = 10 ways to the committee. One of these
has three females and three have two males. The other all have two
females and one males. Thus the probability is 0.6.

22. What is the units digit of integer 31999 ?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 7 (E) 9

(D) The sequence of units digits of 3n is periodic with period four:

3, 9, 7, 1, . . . . Therefore the units digit of 31999 is the digit in the 1999th
term, which is 7.

23. The set of all x such that

(|x| 2)(1 + x) > 0

is exactly

(A) x > 2 (B) |x| > 2 (C) 2 < x < 1 or x > 2 (D) 1 < x < 2
(E) x < 2 or x > 2

(C) The inequality (|x| 2)(1 + x) > 0 is satisfied if both factors are
positive or if both are negative. Both are positive if x > 2 and both
are negative if 2 < x < 1.

24. The product of four distinct positive integers, a, b, c, and d is 8!. The numbers
also satisfy

ab + a + b + 1 = 323 (1)
bc + b + c + 1 = 399. (2)

What is d?

(A) 7 (B) 14 (C) 21 (D) 28 (E) 35

(A) From (1) it follows that ab+a+b+1 = (a+1)(b+1) = 323 = 1719

and from (2) it follows that bc+b+c+1 = (b+1)(c+1) = 399 = 1921.
Thus, b = 18, a = 16, and c = 20. Then d = 8! .. (a b c) = 7.

9
25. Which of the equations below has roots that are the reciprocals of the roots
of the equation
x2 3x 2 = 0?

(A) 2x2 + 3x 1 = 0 (B) 2x2 3x 1 = 0 (C) 2x2 + 3x + 1 = 0

(D) 2x2 3x + 1 = 0 (E) none of A, B, C or D

(A) Let x1 , x2 be the roots. Then x1 + x2 = 3 and x1 x2 = 2.

So x11 x12 = 12 and x11 + x12 = xx11+x
x2
2 3
= 2 . Therefore the quadratic
equation with roots x1 and x2 must be
3 1
x2 + x ,
2 2
or equivalently, 2x2 + 3x 1 = 0.

26. How many two-digit integers are there where the tens digit is greater than the
units digit?

(A) 35 (B) 36 (C) 45 (D) 55 (E) 85

(C) If the units digits is 0 then there are 9 possible tens digit which
is greater than 0. Now discuss the cases when the units digit is 1
through 9. We have total 9 + 8 + + 2 + 1 = 45.

10
27. What is the area of the largest rectangular region that can be inscribed in a
right triangle with legs of length 3 and 4?

(A) 2 (B) 2.5 (C) 3 (D) 3.5 (E) 4

.....
...
...
..
...
..
...
..
...
a ..
.
.............................
.....
.. ...
... ...
.. ....
... ...
... ..
...
.. ..
.... ...
..
.. ...
.
b

(C) Let the length and the width of the rectangle be a and b re-
spectively and let x and y be as shown in the diagram. Then
b = 4 y, ay = 43 , and a = 43 y. This implies that the area
A = ab = 34 y(4 y) = 3y 34 y 2 is a quadratic function of y. Its
maximum value occurs at its vertex, which occurs at y = 2, and cor-
responds to A(2) = 3 2 43 22 = 3.
9
28. How many digits are there in the (decimal representation of the) integer 199 ?
4 4
Recall that 23 = 2(3 ) .
9 9 9 1.27875
Note that 199 = 10(9 log 19) = 109 10495,415,345.3 , so the num-
ber requires 495,415,346 digits.

11
 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
2000 HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CONTEST
March 6, 2000

1. How many six-digit multiples of 5 can be formed from the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

and 6 using each of the digits exactly once?

(A) 21 (B) 32 (C) 36 (D) 64 (E) 120

(E) Only the numbers ending in 5 are divisible by 5. There are 5! = 120
ways to permute the other five digits.

2. Laura jogs seven blocks the first day of her training program. She increases
her distance by two blocks each day. On the last day, she jogs 25 blocks. How
many days was she in training?

(A) 5 (B) 8 (C) 9 (D) 10 (E) 15

(D) By making a table, the pattern can easily be seen:

Day Number of Blocks
1 7
2 9
3 11
4 13
5 15
6 17
7 19
8 21
9 23
10 25
OR
Note that d1 = 7, d2 = 7 + 1 2, d3 = 7 + 2 2, . . . , dn = 7 + (n 1) 2. Hence,
dn = 25 = 7 + (n 1) 2 = n = 10.

3. The line that passes through the points (2, 5) and (7, 2) also passes through
the point (17, y) for some y. What is y?

(A) 16 (B) 15 (C) 14 (D) 5 (E) 5

(A) The slope of the line is 7/5 and an equation for it is y 5 = 75 (x2).
Let x = 17 to find that y = 16.

1
4. The number ((N 2)(N 4)(N 6)(N 8) 1) /2 is an integer if N is

(A) 1 only (B) 2 only (C) 9 only

(D) any odd integer (E) any even integer

(D) If N is any odd integer, then all of (N 2), (N 4), (N 6), and (N 8)
are odd, so their product is odd. Thus (N 2)(N 4)(N 6)(N 8) 1
is even.
5. In the diagram, ABCD is a square and P is a point on the circle with diameter
CD, CP = 7, and P D = 11. What is the area of the square?

B C
....................................................
....... ...... ......
...... ...... ....
..... ...... ....
....... ...... ....
.........
... .....
....
. .. P
.....
.. ...
...
. .. ....
..
. . .. ..
... ... ..
..
.. .. ..
... ... ..
.. ... ..
..
.... ... .
... .. ..
.. .
.
.. ....
.. ..
. ..
.
.. .. .
..
.. ..
.. ..
.. ..
... .. ..
.... ... ...
.
. ..
.... .. ...
.... .. ....
.... .. ....
..... .. .....
..... . .. ......
...... . ......
......... ..
.......................................

A D

(A) 144 (B) 169 (C) 170 (D) 180 (E) 225

(C)
Angle CP D is a right angle. Therefore CD = 72 + 112 =
49 + 121 = 170, and CD2 = 170.

6. An equilateral triangle and a regular hexagon have the same perimeter. What
is the ratio of the area of the triangle to the area of the hexagon?

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

(B) Each of the small triangles has the same area.

..................................................
... ...
... .....
. .
... ..... ..
......
... ... ... ... ... ....
... ... ... ... ... .....
.
... . ...
. .
.... ...
..... ...
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... ... ... ... ...
. .
............................................................................................
. ... ..
.
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.
.
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...........................................

... ... ....
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. .......
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.....
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... .. ... ... .... ...
.................................................... ... ... .. ...
.
...
. ... . ...
...
...

2
7. A school has b boys and g girls, where g < b. How many girls must be enrolled
so that 60% of the student body is female.

(A) 0.6g (B) 0.6g 0.4b (C) 0.6b 0.4g (D) 1.5b g (E) 2b g

g+x
(D) Let x denote the required number of girls. Solve the equation b+g+x
=
.60 for x to get x = 1.5b g.

8. What is the surface area of the figure obtained by removing the three labeled
unit cubes from the large 3 3 3 cube shown?

(A) 50 (B) 54 (C) 58 (D) 60 (E) 64

........ ........ ........ ........

........ ........ ........ ........
....... ....... ....... .......
........ ........ ........ ........
............. ............. .. ...
........ ............
.
. . . .
........ ........ ........ ........
........ ........ ........ ........
....... ....... ....... .......
........ ........ ........ ........
..
......... ..
......... ........... ...
........ ..
...
. .... .... .. .
. ........
.......
........
............
.
.......
........
........
........
.......
........
.......
C ........
........
........
.......
.......

..
. ..
.
........
A ................
........
........
.......

.......
.
........
........
. .
.........
B .. ..
.........
........
.......
.......
........
...
. .

.......

(D) The removal of the cube B does not change the surface area, the
removal of A adds 2 and the removal of C adds 4, so the total is 96+2+4 =
60.
9. How many ordered triples (x, y, z) satisfy the equation

(x2 1)2 + (y 2 4)2 + (z 2 9)2 = 0?

(A) 0 (B) 2 (C) 4 (D) 6 (E) 8

(E) Each term must be zero. Thus x = 1, y = 2, and z = 3. There

are 8 ways to put these values into a triplet.

3
10. Let f (x) = (x b)/(x a) for constants a and b. If f (2) = 0 and f (1) is
undefined, what is f (1/2)?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

1b
(D) Note that f (1) = 1a , so f (1) is undefined for a = 1. Because f (2) = 0,
it follows that 2b = 0, and b = 2. Finally, f (1/2) = (1/22)(1/21) =
3.
11. The slope of the line tangent to the graph of y = x2 at the point (2, 4) is 4.
What is the y-intercept of the line?

(A) 12 (B) 4 (C) 0 (D) 4 (E) 12

(B) The equation is given by y 4 = 4(x 2) which is equivalent to

y = 4x 4, so the y-intercept is 4.

12. What is the coefficient of x7 in the polynomial (x + 3)10 ?

(A) 120 (B) 2187 (C) 3240 (D) 3402 (E) 5670

(C) Using the Binomial Expansion Theorem or by contructing the 10th

row of Pascals triangle, the expansion of (x + 3)10 can be found to be
x10 + 10(3)x9 + 45(32 )x8 + 120(33 )x7 + 210(34 )x6 + 252(35 )x5 + 210(36 )x4 +
120(37 )x3 + 45(38 )x2 + 10(39 )x1 + 1(310 ). So the coefficient of x7 is 120 33 =
120 27 = 3240.
13. Niki just completed a 10 mile bike trip. If she had been able to ride 2 miles
per hour faster, she would have completed her trip in 20 fewer minutes. Find
her speed to the nearest tenth of a mile per hour.

(A) 6.2 (B) 6.3 (C) 6.5 (D) 6.7 (E) 6.8

(E) Let r and t denote the rate in mph and time in hours, respectively.
Then rt = 10 and (r + 2)(t 1/3) = 10. Solve these simutaneously to get
the quadratic r2 + 2r 60 = 0. Solve this using the quadratic formula to
get the positive root r = 1 + 61 6.81.

4
14. How many squares of all sizes have sides determined by the grid lines below?

(A) 48 (B) 72 (C) 75 (D) 89 (E) 91

(E) Count them by size. There are 48 unit squares, 24 with area 4, one
with area 16, four with area 25, nine with area 36, four with area 49, and
one with area 64, for a total of 48 + 24 + 1 + 4 + 9 + 4 + 1 = 91.

15. An ant located at a corner of a 2in. 3in. 5in. rectangular block of wood
wants to crawl along the surface to the opposite corner of the block. What is
the length of the shortest such path?

(A) 50 (B) 58 (C) 8 (D) 68 (E) 10

(A) Each of the six routes takes the ant across two rectangular faces. The
block can be cut and unfolded so the two faces are adjacent as shown below.
The
q three possibleroutesq across two facesof the block have lengths
2 + (3 + 5) = 68, 32 + (2 + 5)2 = 58,
2 2
q
and (2 + 3)2 + 52 = 50.

16. The students in Professor Einsteins class decided to reward the fine teacher
with a CD player at the end of the course. A total of $529 was collected
from the students, with each student contributing the same amount, which
was equal to the total number of students in the class. Only ordinary US bills
were used and none of these were $2 dollar bills. In addition, each student
paid using the same five bills. How many ten-dollar bills were collected?

(A) 10 (B) 12 (C) 15 (D) 23 (E) 46

5
 (E) Let x equal the amount each student contributed. If each student gave
an amount equal to the total number of students, then x2 represents the
total value of the collection, $529. Hence, x = $23. Since each student used
the same five bills, the only combination of bills that each student paid must
be 2 ten-dollar bills and 3 one-dollar bills. Therefore there are 23 2 = 46
ten dollar bills collected.
17. If the operation is defined for all positive x and y by x y = (xy)/(x + y),
which of the following must be true for positive x, y, and z?

i. x x = x/2
ii. x y = y x
iii. x (y z) = (x y) z

(A) i. only (B) i. and ii. only (C) i. and iii. only
(D) ii. and iii. only (E) all three

 1
(E) The operation can be written x y = x1 + y1 . It is not hard to
see that it is commutative. A straightforward
 1
calculation shows that it is
1 1
associative as well. Also, x x = x + x = x/2.

18. Suppose that f (n+1) = f (n)+f (n 1) for n = 2, 3, . . .. Given that f (6) = 23

and f (4) = 8, what is f (1) + f (3)?

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 12 (E) 13

(E) Substituting n = 5 into the given equation, we find that f (5) = 238 =
15. Then substituting n = 4, we obtain f (3) = 15 8 = 7. Then n = 3
yields f (2) = 8 7 = 1. Finally, n = 2 gives f (1) = 7 1 = 6. Thus,
f (1) + f (3) = 13.

19. The point A = (2, 3) is reflected about the x-axis to a point B. Then B is
reflected about the line y = x to a point C. What is the area of the triangle
ABC?

(A) 12 (B) 14 (C) 15 (D) 16 (E) 24

(C) The coordinates of B are (2, 3), and those of C are (3, 2), so the
triangle can be viewed as one with base AB = 3 (3) = 6 and altitude of
2 (3) = 5, so the area is 21 (6 5) = 15.

6

20. The sides a, b, and c of a triangle satisfy a+ b = c. Which of the following
best describes the triangle?

(A) acute (B) scalene (C) isosceles

(D) non-existent (E) equilateral

(D) Square both sides of a + b = c to obtain c = a + b + 2 ab, which
means that c is larger than the sum of a and b.

21. In triangle ABC, AB = 9, BC = 10, and AC = 11. Among the following,

which number is closest to cos(6 ABC)?

(A) 2/9 (B) 1/4 (C) 2/7 (D) 3/10 (E) 1/3

(E) By the Law of Cosines, 112 = 92 + 102 2 9 10 cos(6 ABC). Therefore,

cos(6 ABC) = (181 121) 180 = 1/3.

22. If a > 0 and ab = 3, bc = 5, and ac = 7, what is c.?

s
35
(A) 3 (B) 3 (C) (D) 2 (E) 1
3

(C) We have a2 b2 c2 = 3 5 7 = 105.

q Since a > 0, so are b and c. Hence

abc = 105. Thus c = ab = 3 = 35
abc 105
3
.

7
23. Let N be the smallest four digit number such that the three digit number
obtained by removing the leftmost digit is one ninth of the original number.
What is the sum of the digits of N ?

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

(D) The number N can be written in the form N = 1000a + b, where

a is a digit and b is a three digit number. The condition implies that
9b = 1000a + b, or equivalently, 8b = 1000a. The smallest nonzero digit a
for which 1000a is a multiple of 8 is a = 1, which leads to b = 125. Hence
N = 1125.
24. There are some elevens in a collection of numbers and the rest of the numbers
are twelves. There are three more elevens than twelves. Which of the following
could be the sum of the numbers in the collection?

(A) 232 (B) 234 (C) 235 (D) 240 (E) 256

(D) Suppose there are k twelves. Then the sum is 11(k + 3) + 12k =
23k + 33 = 23(k + 1) + 10 so the sum must be 10 bigger than some multiple
of 23. Only 240 of the options is such a number.

25. A treasure is located at a point along a straight road with towns A, B, C,

and D in that order. A map gives the following instructions for locating the
treasure:

(a) Start at town A and go 1/2 of the way to C.

(b) Then go 1/3 of the way towards D.
(c) Then go 1/4 of the way towards B, and dig for the treasure.

If AB = 6 miles, BC = 8 miles, and the treasure is buried midway between A

and D, find the distance from C to D.

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 10 (E) None of the above

(B) Let the distance from C to D be x. Using the information given, we can
represent the location of the treasure in two ways, which gives the following
equation:
x + 14 1 1
 
= 7 + (1/3)(x + 7) (x + 7) + 1 .
2 4 3
Solve this to get x = 6.

8
26. The area of 4ABC is 144 square units. Point U is on AB such that the ratio
AU to U B is 5 to 7. Point V is on BC such that the ratio BV to V C is 2 to
1. What is the area of 4U V B?

(A) 50 (B) 54 (C) 55 (D) 56 (E) 60

(D) The area of 4ABV is 23 144 = 96 (because the alti-

tude AF to the base BC is the same for both triangles ABC
7
and ABV ), so the area of 4U V B is 12 96 = 7 8 = 56.
A....
........
.. ......
.. ... .....
.. .... ......
.
. .. .....
.. .. ...
.. .. ....
..
.. .. .......
... .. ....
.. .. ....
... .. ....
.. ....
.. .. ....
.
. .. ....
..
U .
...
.........
... .................
..
..
..
..
....
....
....
....
.. .... ..... .. ....
. .... ..... .. ....
. .... ..... . ... ....
... ....
....
.....
..... ... ....
.. .... ..... .. . ....
.. ..... ....... . . ....
... .... ....... ....
. .... ....... ....
. .... .. ...... ....
... .... ... ....... . ....
.. .... . . ..... ....
. .... .. .. ....
. .... .. ...... ....
... .... ... .....
..... ...
.. .... ..
.... .. ..... .......
... .... ... . ..... .....
.
.. .... .. ..... ...
..... ...
.. .... ..
...... .........
.. ..... ........
..
....

B F V C

27. When a missile is fired from a ship, the probability it is intercepted is 1/3. The
probability that the missile hits the target, given that it is not intercepted,
is 3/4. If three missiles are fired independently from the ship, what is the
probability that all three hit their targets?

(A) 1/12 (B) 1/8 (C) 9/64 (D) 3/8 (E) 3/4

(B) The probability that a missile is not intercepted is 2/3. The probability
that any one missile hits its target is P (hits) = (3/4) (2/3) = 1/2. The
three missiles are fired independently, so the desired probability is 1/2 1/2
1/2 = 1/8.

9
 UNCC 2001 Comprehensive, Solutions
March 5, 2001

1. Compute the sum of the roots of x2 5x + 6 = 0.

(A) 3 (B) 7/2 (C) 4 (D) 9/2 (E) 5

(E) The sum of the roots of the quadratic ax2 + bx + c = 0 is b/a which, for
this example, is 5. Alternatively, factor the quadratic into (x 3)(x 2) = 0
and find the roots.

2. Find the slope of the line connecting the two points that satisfy

2x + 3y = 6 and x2 + y 2 = 36.

(A) 1 (B) 2/3 (C) 1/2 (D) 1/3 (E) 0

(B) The two points both belong to the line 2x + 3y = 6 whose slope is 2/3.

3. Compute the sum of all the roots of (2x + 3)(x 4) + (2x + 3)(x 6) = 0.

(A) 7/2 (B) 4 (C) 7 (D) 13 (E) none of A, B, C or D

(A) Factor to get (2x + 3)(2x 10) = 0, so the two roots are 3/2 and 5.

4. The radius of the circle given by

x2 6x + y 2 + 4y = 36

is

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 36

(C) Complete the squares by adding 9 and 4 to both sides to get

x2 6x + 9 + y 2 + 4y + 4 = 36 + 9 + 4 = 49 = 72 .

So the radius is 7.

1
5. What is the area of the pentagonal region ABCDE, where A = (0, 0), B =
(12, 0), C = (12, 2), D = (6, 7), and E = (0, 5)?

(A) 60 (B) 62 (C) 63 (D) 65 (E) 66

(C) Partition the region into two rectangles and two right triangles as shown,
with areas 24, 18, 6, and 15 respectively, for a total area of 63.

D
...
...
...
..........................
........ ......
.
...
...
...
............. ......
......
...
...
. ......
..
...
...
........ 6 ......
E ......
......
......
......
......
18 15 ......
......
......
......
.C
24

A B

2
6. How many positive integers can be represented as a product of two distinct
members of the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13

(E) Count them one at a time. They are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24,
and 30.

7. Two cards are selected randomly and simultaneously from a set of four cards
numbered 2, 3, 4, and 6. What is the probability that both cards selected are
prime numbered cards? Express your answer as a fraction.

(A) 1/6 (B) 1/4 (C) 1/3 (D) 1/2 (E) 2/3

(A) Exactly two of the four cards have primes, so just one of the six pairs
consists of primes.

8. How many positive integers less than one million have all digits equal and are
divisible by 9?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 10 (E) 18

(D) Suppose the number a has n digits each of which is d. Then a is divisible
by 9 if and only if the sum d + d + + d = nd of its digits is divisible by
9. Since 1 n 6, one concludes that d = 3, 6, 9 are the only possibilities.
With d = 3, we get the two numbers 333 and 333 333 divisible by 9. With
d = 6, we get the two numbers 666 and 666 666 divisible by 9. With d = 9,
we get the six numbers 9, 99, . . . , 999 999 divisible by 9, so altogether there are
2 + 2 + 6 = 10 solutions.

9. If x2 +2x+n > 10 for all real numbers x, then which of the following conditions
must be true?

(A) n > 11 (B) n < 11 (C) n = 10 (D) n = (E) n > 11

(A) Complete the square to find that f (x) = x2 +2x+n = (x+1)2 1+n > 10
if and only if n > 11. Alternatively, the minimum value of x2 + 2x + n occurs
at the vertex of the parabola, whose x-coordinate is given by b/2a = 2/2 =
1. Thus f (1) = (1)2 + 2(1) + n > 10 if and only if n > 11.

3
10. The diagram shows six congruent circles with collinear centers in the plane.
Each circle touches its nearest neighbor(s) at exactly one point. How many
paths of length 3 along the circular arcs are there from A = (0, 0) to B =
(6, 0)?

(A) 16 (B) 32 (C) 64 (D) 128 (E) 256

.......... .......... ......... .......... .......... ..........

.... .......... .......... ........... .......... .......... ......
A...
..... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .....B
........ ........ ........ ........ ........ ........

(C) The shortest path from A to B uses exactly six semi-circles. Selecting
either the upper or the lower semicircle from each circle leads to 26 = 64 paths
from A to B.

11. What is the sum of the digits of the decimal representation of

1027 + 2
?
3

(A) 80 (B) 82 (C) 84 (D) 86 (E) 87

1027 +2 1027 1
(B) Note that 3 = 3 + 1 = 333 . . . 3 + 1 = 333 . . . 34, where the string
has 27 digits. The sum of the digits is therefore 26 3 + 4 = 82.

12. Consider triangle ABC with AB = x, BC = x + 1, and CA = x + 2. Which

of the following statements must be true?
I. x 1
II. x 2 3
III. Angle C < 60 degrees.

(A) I only (B) II only (C) III only (D) I and II (E) I and III
B
...
.............
.....
x + 1...........
...
... x
...
. ...
.
...
.. ...
. .
.... ...
...
... ...
... ...
...
C x+2 A
(E) The triangle inequality shows that x + 2 x + (x + 1), so that I is true.
Note that for all x with x 1, there is a unique triangle with sides of the
given length, so II is false. Finally, note that because of the lengths of the
sides opposite angles A, B, and C, we may conclude that 6 C < 6 A < 6 B.
Since 6 A + 6 B + 6 C = 180 , we see that 36 C < 180 , hence 6 C < 60 and III
is true.

4
13. If 210x1 = 1, what is log x?

(A) 1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) 3

(A) Note that 210x1 = 1 implies 10x = 1, x = 0.1 So log x = 1.

14. How many positive divisors does 6! have?

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 10 (D) 20 (E) 30

(E) 6! = 2 3 4 5 6 = 24 32 5, so it has (4 + 1)(2 + 1)(1 + 1) = 30 positive

integer divisors.

15. The vertices of a triangle T are (0, 0), (0, y), and (x, 0), where x and y are
positive. The area of T is 30 and the perimeter is also 30. What is x + y?

(A) 12 (B) 13 (C) 15 (D) 17 (E) 18

(D) The two unknowns x and y satisfy xy = 60 and x + y + x2 + y 2 = 30.
Trying a few pythagorean triples, we see that 5, 12, 13 works just right. So the
2 x +2 y = 5 + 12 = 17. Alternatively, square both sides of x + y 30 =
sum
x + y and eliminate to get 120 60(x + y) + 900 = 0 from which it follows
that x + y = 17.

16. An isosceles right triangular regionof area 25 is cut

from a corner of a rectan-
gular region with sides of length 5 2 and 5(1 + 2). What is the perimeter
of the resulting trapezoid?

(A) 25 (B) 35 (C) 20 + 10 2 (D) 10 + 20 2 (E) 15 + 15 2

(C) Notice from the diagram that all

the sides of the trapezoid are easily
determined. Adding them gives 20 + 10 2.

5 ..... 5 2
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....10
5 2 .....
..... 5 2
.....
.....
.....
.....
....

5+5 2

5
17. In the following figure, what is the sum m(6 A) + m(6 B) + m(6 C) + m(6 D) +
m(6 E) of the measures of the angles A, B, C, D, and E?

(A) 180 (B) 360 (C) 540 (D) 720 (E) 900

D
....
... ....
E . ..
................................................ C
....... .. ... .....
........ .........
... .
.. ...................
........... ............
A B

(A) Consider angles 1-5 in the center pentagon.

.
D
........
. .
E . ..
................................................. C
....... .. 1 2 .. .....
........5 3..........
........ 4.......
..............................

A B

Because the sum of the angles of a triangle is 180 , it follows that

m(6 A) + m(6 D) + m(6 3) = 180 ,
m(6 A) + m(6 C) + m(6 1) = 180 ,
m(6 E) + m(6 C) + m(6 4) = 180 ,
m(6 E) + m(6 B) + m(6 2) = 180 ,
and m(6 D) + m(6 B) + m(6 5) = 180 . Adding these equations yields
2 (m(6 A) + m(6 B) + m(6 C) + m(6 D) + m(6 E) + (m(6 1) + m(6 2) + m(6 3) +
m(6 4) + m(6 5) = 900 But since the measures of the angles of the central
pentagon sum to 540 , we have 2(m(6 A)+m(6 B)+m(6 C)+m(6 D)+m(6 E)+
540 = 900 and 2(m(6 A) + m(6 B) + m(6 C) + m(6 D) + m(6 E)) = 360 . Thus
m(6 A) + m(6 B) + m(6 C) + m(6 D) + m(6 E) = 180 .

6
 A
...
........
.. ...
... ....
.. ...
... ...
.. ...
18. In the figure below, the circle is inscribed
.. ..........................
in an isosceles triangle ABC, with segment ...... ......
...
AP passing through the center O of the ... ...
..... O ..
circle, AC = AB = 12 and BP = 4. Find .. .... .......
the radius r of the circle. .. ........................... ....
.
B P C

(A) 2 2 (B) 3 2 (C) 4 2 (D) 6 2 (E) 12 + 2

(A) See the diagram below. Since the circle is inscribed within the triangle
and AP passes through the circles center, it follows that AP is perpendicular

to BC. By the Pythagorean Theorem, we have AP 2 +42 = 122 and AP = 8 2.
Let R be the point of tangency of the circle with AC. Consider triangles OP C
and ORC. They are right triangles that have the same hypotenuse. Since
OP = OR is the radius of the circle, they are congruent. Hence, P C = RC = 4
and AR = 12 4 = 8. And in right triangle AOR, we have

(8 2 r)2 = 82 + r2 .

Solve the equation
128 2 8 2r + r2 = 64 + r2 for the radius r to get
4
r = 2 = 2 2.

A
....
... ....
.. ...
... .....
.. ...
... ...
...
... ...
.. .
.. ..............................
...... .......
.. ..
....
..... O .................... ......R
.. ... ....... .. ...
....... ..
... ........ .. .
.. .......................... .............
B P C

7
19. Bill and his dog walk home from the shopping center. It takes Bill 36 minutes
and his dog walks twice as fast. They start together, but the dog reaches home
before Bill and returns to meet Bill. After meeting Bill, the dog walks home,
again at double speed, and then turns back to meet Bill again. Bill starts at
noon to walk home. How many minutes later does he meet the dog for the
second time?

(A) 24 (B) 27 (C) 30 (D) 32 (E) 34

(D) The dog is at home for the first time after 18 minutes. Then he runs back
to Bill at double speed. It takes 18
3
= 6 minutes for the dog to run back towards
Bill. Hence Bill and the dog meet the first time after 18 + 6 = 24 minutes.
Since 24 = 23 36, at that moment, Bill has still a third of his way to walk, and
the dog begins its second leg. The second leg of the dog, forward to home and
backward to Bill takes 31 of the time of the first leg, hence 24 3
= 8 minutes.
Thus Bill and the dog meet the second time after 24 + 8 = 32 minutes.

20. How many ordered triples (x, y, z) satisfy the equation

3x2 + 3y 2 + z 2 2xy + 2yz = 0 ?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) infintely many

(B) We can express the left side as a sum of squares:

3x2 + 3y 2 + z 2 2xy + 2yz =

x2 2xy + y 2 + 2x2 + y 2 + y 2 + 2yz + z 2 =
(x y)2 + 2x2 + y 2 + (y + z)2 .

A sum of squares can be zero only if each one is zero. Thus x = 0, y = 0, z = 0

is the only solution.

8
21. Let A, B be the centers of two circles with radii 1 and assume that AB = 1.
Find the area of the region enclosed by arcs CAD and CBD.

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

..............................C ..................................
..
. ....... .
................. .....
....
... ... .... ....
.... ...
...
...
...
... ... ... ...
.. .. .. ..
... A .. . .
B .
... ... ... ...
... ... . .
...
..... .... ...
. ....
....... .... ... ...
............ ................................ .................
........... D ...........

(C) Note that 6 CAD is 23

. This implies that the area is twice the difference
between area of the area of the sector CAD and the triangle CAD. In other
words, it is
1 1
 
2
2 1 /3 3
2 2

2 3
which is 3
2
.

.......................C .............................................
..
............. ....
..
.. . . ... .....
.... .... ... ...... ....
.. . .. ...... ... ...
... ....... ... ...
... ...... ... ...
A ..... .. B .
...
... ...... .. ...
... .... . .
...
.... ........ ... ...
.
..... ........ ... .. .
.
........ ... .. .....
.......................................................................
D

9
22. Suppose x satisfies |x2 2x 3| = |x2 2x + 5|. Then x belongs to

(A) [0, 2) (B) [2, 4) (C) [4, 6) (D) [6, 8) (E) [8, )

(A) Since x2 2x + 5 = (x 1)2 + 4 we may omit the absolute value sign

on the right hand side. Now x2 2x 3 = (x + 1)(x 3) is negative for
1 < x < 3, elsewhere it is not negative. Hence the equation is of the form
x2 2x 3 = x2 2x + 5, i.e, 3 = 5 when x 1 or x 3. In this case we
have no solution. If 1 < x < 3 then the equation x2 + 2x + 3 = x2 2x + 5
is equivalent to 2(x 1)2 = 0. Hence x = 1, and this is a solution since
1 < 1 < 3.
Alternatively, since |x2 2x 3| = |x2 2x + 5|, it must be the case that either
(x2 2x 3) = (x2 2x + 5) or (x2 2x 3) = (x2 2x + 5). The first has
no solutions, and the second is equivalent to 2x2 4x + 2 = 0 which has just
one solution, x = 1.
q
23. When 4 2 3 is expressed in the form a b, where a and b are integers,
the value of a + b is

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

(C) Note that

q q
42 3 = ( 3)2 2 3 + 12
q
= ( 3 1)2

= 3 1,

so a = 3 and b = 1. q

Alternatively,
solve 4 2 3 = ab by squaring both sides to get 42 3=
2
a + b 2b a. Then it is easy to guess that a = 3 and b = 1, and check these
values.

10
24. The sum of the reciprocals of four different positive integers is 1.85. Which of
the following could be the sum of the four integers?

(A) 15 (B) 16 (C) 17 (D) 18 (E) 19

(C) Because 21 + 13 + 14 + 15 < 1.85, one of the integers must be 1. Let a, b and c
denote the others. Since 31 + 14 + 15 = 47
60
< 0.85, one of the numbers, say a, must
1 1
be 2. Then b + c = 0.35. Since 0.35 1/3 = 5/300 = 1/60, one set of integers
that works is {1, 2, 3, 60}. But 1 + 2 + 3 + 60 = 66 is not one of the options.
If b = 4, then c = (.35 .25)1 = 10 also works, and 1 + 2 + 4 + 10 = 17 is
one of the options. Note that these are the only solutions since 15 + 16 6= 0.35
and all other possible sums are less than 0.35.

25. What is the area of a triangle whose sides are 5, 6, and 13?

(A) 5 2 (B) 8 (C) 9 (D) 6 2 (E) 10

(C) Use the law of cosines to get

( 13)2 = 52 + 62 2(5)(6) cos .

Solve for cos to get cos = 25+3613

60
= 45 . Then note that sin = 3/5, which
means the altitude to the base of length 6 is 3, so the area is 9.
Alternatively, build such a trianglefrom triangles we know more about. Start
with a 3; 4; 5 triangle. Note that 13 = 22 + 32 so we might try to build
the triangle in the problem from a 2; 3; 13 and a 3; 4; 5. We can append
them along the edge of length 3. Notice that since both triangles are right, we
can append them so that the union is a triangular region with sides of length
4 + 2, 5, and 13, whose area is easy to find. The altitude to the base 6 is
3, so the area is 9. Yet another approach would be to use Herons formula.
........
.. .. ............
.
... .......
13...... ....... 5
.......
.... 3 .......
.... .......
.......
....
.
... .........
2 4

11
26. Into how many regions does the solution set S of

xy(y x)(y + x)(x2 + y 2 1) = 0

divide the plane? Note that some of the regions are bounded (surrounded by
points of S), and some are unbounded.

(A) 4 (B) 8 (C) 16 (D) 18 (E) 22

(C) The Zero Product Property applies. Thus one or more of the five factors
is zero. Hence S consists of all points satisfying any of the following five equa-
tions: x = 0, y = 0, y = x, y = x, x2 + y 2 = 1. The first four are lines and
the fifth is a circle. The diagram
..... shows that S divides the . plane into 16 regions.
..... .
. ....
..... ..
..... ..................................... .......
.. .. ......
........ ..........
.. . ........ .
.
. ..... ...... ...
...
... ..... ....
...... ..
... .
.. ..... ..
... .
. .
... ...... .....
..... ...
.... .... ........
........ ...
. ... .................................... ........
.. . .
..... .....
.....
.. ... ..

12
27. In the right triangle ABC shown, D is on AC, 6 A = 30 , 6 BDC = 60 , and
AD = 4. Find BC

(A) 3 (B) 2 3 (C) 14 (D) 4 (E) 3 2

B
.
............
.... ..
...
. ........ ......
.... ..
..
.......... ......
.... ..
..
.......... ......
......
.....30
..
...60
... ..
A 4 D C
(B) Refer to the diagram. Since 6 ABD = 6 DAB, it follows that BD = 4.
2 2 2
Since 4BCD isa 30, 60, 90 triangle, DC = BD/2 = 2. Then BC = 4 2 =
12, so BC = 2 3.
B
...
. .....
.
.
. ..30
...30

..
.. ....... ......
.
.... ..
..
.......... ......
.... ..
..
.......... ..
....
... .
...... ...
....... 30 120. 60
.
A 4 D 2 C

28. An integer between 100,000 and 199,999 becomes three times as big when we
move the 1 from the leftmost position to the rightmost position. Find the sum
of the digits of the number

(A) 22 (B) 24 (C) 27 (D) 28 (E) 29

(C) Let N denote the five-digit number obtained by subtracting 100000 from
the six-digit number in the problem. Then 3(100000 + N ) = 10N + 1, which is
equivalent to 7N = 299999 which yields N = 42857, so the sum of the digits
of the six-digit number is 1 + 4 + 2 + 8 + 5 + 7 = 27.

13
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive with solutions

March 4, 2002

1. It takes 852 digits to number the pages of a book consecutively. How many
pages are there in the book?

(A) 184 (B) 235 (C) 320 (D) 368 (E) 425

(C) Pages 1 through 9 use 9 digits and 10 through 99 use 90 2 = 180

digits, for a total of 189 digits for pages 1 through 99. That leaves 663 digits
remaining to make the required total of 852 digits. These are obtained by
going 221 pages beyond page 99, through page 320.
1 1 7
2. Solve the equation 8 6 + x 3 = 3 2
.

(A) 24 (B) 27 (C) 32 (D) 64 (E) none of A, B, C or D

1 1 1
(B) Note that 8 6 = (23 ) 6 = 2 2 . Rationalizing the denominator of the right
7 7(3+ 2) 21+7

2

side gives 3 2 = (32)(3+2) = 7 = 3 + 2. Thus the equation reduces
1
to x 3 = 3 or x = 27. Alternatively, you can use a calculator to solve this
problem.

3. The fraction 2x5x11

2 +x6 was obtained by adding the two fractions
A
x+2
and B
2x3
.
Find the value of A + B.

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

A(2x3) B(x+2)
(D) Note that 2x5x11 A B
2 +x6 = x+2 + 2x3 = (x+2)(2x3) + (x+2)(2x3) . Also, note that

5x 11 = (2A + B)x (3A 2B), 2A + B = 5 and 3A 2B = 11. Solving

this system of equations we obtain A = 3 and B = 1, so A + B = 2

4. The slope of the line through the points that satisfy y = 8 x2 and y = x2 is

(A) 2 (B) 4 (C) 0 (D) 2 (E) 4

(C) The slope is 0 because the two parabolas are intersecting even functions.
In fact they are reflections (through the line y = 4) of each other. Alternatively,
8 x2 = x2 x = 2, y = 4.

1
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

5. The product of the zeros of f (x) = (2x 24)(6x 18) (x 12) is

(A) 72 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 37 (E) 432

(D) The roots are 12 and 37/12 because f (x) = 12(x12)(x3)(x12) =

(x 12)(12x 37) so the product is 12 (37/12) = 37.

6. Factor x4 + 4y 4 over the real numbers. Hint: Add and subtract 4x2 y 2 .

(A) (x2 2xy + 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )

(B) (x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )2
(C) (x2 + 2xy 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )
(D) (x2 2xy 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 )
(E) none of A, B, C, or D

(A) Add and subtract 4x2 y 2 to get x4 + 4y 4 = x4 + 4x2 y 2 + 4y 4 4x2 y 2 =

(x2 + 2y 2 )2 (2xy)2 = (x2 2xy + 2y 2 )(x2 + 2xy + 2y 2 ).

7. What is the remainder when x2 + 3x 5 is divided by x 1?

(A) 5 (B) 2 (C) 1 (D) 0 (E) 1

(C) By long division or the Remainder Theorem, the remainder is 1.

8. Jeremy starts jogging at a constant rate of five miles per hour. Half an hour
later, David starts running along the same route at seven miles per hour. For
how many minutes must David run to catch Jeremy?

(A) 75 minutes (B) 80 minutes (C) 90 minutes

(D) 95 minutes (E) 105 minutes

(A) David runs at 7 mph for t hours while Jeremy runs for t + 1/2 hours at 5
mph. They run the same distance, so 5 (t + 1/2) = 7t, which yields t = 5/4
hours, or 75 minutes.

2
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

9. For the final exam in Professor Ahlins class, the average (= arithmetic mean)
score of the group of failing students was 62 and the average score among the
passing students was 92. The overall average for the 20 students in the class
was 80. How many students passed the final?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13

(D) Translating the information into equations, where x represents the number
of students who passed the final,

62(20 x) + 92(x) = 20 80 = 1600.

Solve this for x to get x = 12.

10. Fifteen numbers are picked from the set {1, 2, 3, . . . 20, 21}. Find the proba-
bility that at least three of those numbers are consecutive.

(A) 0.1 (B) 0.2 (C) 0.4 (D) 0.5 (E) 1.0

(E) Imagine putting the 15 numbers into seven boxes labelled 123, 456, 789,
etc. Each number is put into the box that it helps to label. After all 15
numbers have been distributed among the boxes, some box must have three
balls, by the Pigeon-Hole Principle. Thus the probability that some box has
three consecutive numbers is 1.

11. Cara has 162 coins in her collection of nickels, dimes, and quarters, which has
a total value of $22.00. If Cara has twelve fewer nickels than quarters, how
many dimes does she have?

(A) 50 (B) 60 (C) 70 (D) 74 (E) 78

(C) Solve simultaneously the three equations q 12 = n, n + d + q = 162 and

5n + 10d + 25q = 2200 to get d = 70.

12. Let (h, k) denote the center and let r denote the radius of the circle given by
x2 + 2x + y 2 4y = 4. What is the sum h + k + r?

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

(B) Complete the square to write the equation in the form (x+1)2 +(y 2)2 =
32 , at which point it is easy to see that h = 1, k = 2, and r = 3, so the sum
is 1 + 2 + 3 = 4.

3
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

13. Let N denote the smallest four-digit number with all different digits that is
divisible by each of its digits. What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13

(D) Trying the smallest digits first, we are led to numbers of the form 12xy,
which in turn leads to 1236.

14. A chain with two links is 13 cm long. A chain made from three links of the
same type is 18 cm long. How long is a chain made from 25 such links?

(A) 120 (B) 128 (C) 136 (D) 144 (E) 150

.............................
............................... ................. ....... ..............................
.. ...... .
... ............ ....... .... .... ................ ....
.
. . . ..
.. ........... ............ ..... .
..
...
.............................. .... ................................... .........
.
. . ....... .. ..... ... .... ..... ...
... .... . .... ... .. .... ...
... .... ... ........ .... ........ ... ...
... ... .... ... ..
... ... ... ... .... ... ....
... ... ... .. ... ... .. ...
... ... ... .. .. ... .. .. ... ...
... ... ... .. .. ... .. .. . .
... .... ... ... .... .... .... .... ...
.... ...... .. . .. .. . .. .. .
..... ............. ................. ........... ................. ................. ........... ................. ................. ......
....... ........ . ........ . ........
........... ....... ................. ....... ................. .......
........................... ........................... ...........................
(B) Look at the diagram, and note the length of a chain with n links is
2R + 2(n 1)r where R is the outer radius and r is the inner radius. Thus,
2R + 2r = 13 and 2R + 4r = 18, which yields 2r = 5/2 and 2R = 8. Thus the
length of a 25 link chain is 2R + 24r = 8 + 120 = 128. Alternatively, note that
each link adds 5 cm. to the length of the chain, for a total of 8 + 5 24 = 128.

15. What is the sum of the three positive integers a, b, and c that satisfy
1
a+ 1 = 7.5?
b+ c

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 9 (E) 11

1 1
(D) First note that a = 7 and that b+ 1c
= 0.5. So b + c
= 2 and it follows
that b = c = 1. Thus a + b + c = 9.

4
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

16. A circle C contains the points (0, 6), (0, 10), and (8, 0). What is the x-coordinate
of the center?

(A) 6.75 (B) 7.25 (C) 7.50 (D) 7.75 (E) 8.25

(D) The center (h, k) of C must lie on the line y = 8 , because the center
is the same distance from (0, 6) as it is from (0, 10). Thus the circle satisfies
(x h)2 + (y 8)2 = r2 , for some number h. It must also lie on the line that
perpendicularly bisects the segment from (0, 6) to (8, 0), an equation for which
is y 3 = 34 (x 4) . Since y = 8, it follows that h = 7.75. Alternatively, the
distance from (h, 8) to (0, 6) must be the same as the distance from (h, 8) to
(8, 0), which we can solve for h.

17. The number 839 can be written as 19q + r where q and r are positive integers.
What is the largest possible value of q r?

(A) 37 (B) 39 (C) 41 (D) 45 (E) 47

(C) Divide 839 by 19 to get 839 = 44 19 + 3. One pair of positive value is

q = 44 and r = 3. If we try to make q any bigger, we are forced to make r
negative.

18. The four angles of a quadrilateral form an arithmetic sequence. The largest
is 15 degrees less than twice the smallest. What is the degree measure of the
largest angle?

(A) 95 (B) 100 (C) 105 (D) 115 (E) 125

(D) Let the angles be a, a + d, a + 2d, and a + 3d. Then 4a + 6d = 360 and
a + 3d + 15 = 2a. Thus a = 3d + 15, so we can replace a with 3d + 15 in the
first equation. Solve this to get 3d = 50 and a = 50 + 15 = 65, so the largest
angle is 65 + 50 = 115 .

5
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

19. A family is traveling due west on a straight road that passes a famous land-
mark, L in the figure below. At a given time, the bearing on the landmark is
62 west of north. After the family has travelled 5 miles farther, the landmark
is 38 west of north. What is the closest the family can come to the landmark
if they remain on the road?

(A) 4.25 (B) 4.34 (C) 4.55 (D) 4.76 (E) 4.85

L.....
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......
......62
.......

(C) Let h denote the distance from the landmark to the point on the road
nearest the landmark. Then tan 52 = h/x and tan 28 = h/(x + 5). Solving
each of these for x reveals that h/ tan 52 = h/ tan 28 5 which we can solve
for h to get h = 4.55.

L....
.............
.... ........
.... ........
.... .........
h .... ........
.... ........
.... ........
52 .
28 .... .
x 5

20. Vic can beat Harold by one tenth of a mile in a two mile race. Harold can
beat Charlie by one fifth of a mile in a two mile race. If Vic races Charlie,
how far ahead will Vic finish?

(A) 0.15 miles (B) 0.22 miles (C) 0.25 miles

(D) 0.29 miles (E) 0.33 miles

(D) Vic is 20/19 times as fast as Harold. Harold is 20/18 times as fast as
Charlie, so Vic is (20/19)(20/18) 1.1696 times as fast as Charlie. When Vic
runs 2 miles, Charlie will have run 2/1.1696 1.71 miles. Vic will finish 0.29
miles ahead of Charlie.

6
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

21. For what positive value of x is there a right triangle with sides x + 1, 4x, and
4x + 1?

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 10 (E) 12

(B) The number x must satisfy (x + 1)2 + (4x)2 = (4x + 1)2 since 4x + 1 is
certainly the largest of the three numbers. Thus x2 + 2x + 1 + 16x2 16x2
8x 1 = x2 6x = 0 from which it follows that x = 6.

22. What is the probability of obtaining an ace on both the first and second draws
from an ordinary deck of 52 playing cards when the first card is not replaced
before the second is drawn? There are four aces in the deck.

(A) 1/221 (B) 4/221 (C) 1/13 (D) 1/17 (E) 30/221

(A) The probability of obtaining an ace on the first draw is 4/52 = 1/13. If
the first card drawn is an ace there are 3 aces remaining in the deck, which
now consists of 51 cards. Thus, the probability of getting an ace on the second
draw is 3/51 = 1/17. The required probability is the product of the two, which
is 1/221.

23. Let (m, n) be an ordered pair of integers such that to 5m2 + 2n2 = 2002.
Which of the following digits could be the units digit of n?

(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 7 (E) 9

(E) Note that 5m2 = 2(1001 n2 ). This implies that m is even, so m2 is a

multiple of 4. Thus 1001 n2 is a multiple of 10, and it follows that the units
digit of n2 is 1. The number (10k + d)2 has a units digit of 1 only when the
digit d is 1 or 9. Since 1 is not an option, the answer is 9. In fact one solution
is (16, 19).

7
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

24. A running track has the shape shown below. The ends are semicircular with
diameter 100 yards. Suppose that the lanes are each 1 yard wide and num-
bered from the inside to the outside. The competitor in the inside lane runs
700 yards counter clockwise. The other runners start ahead of the inside lane
runner, and also run 700 yards, with all runners finishing at the same place.
Approximately how much of a head start should a runner in the fifth lane
receive over a runner in the first lane?

............. ........................
. ............................ k .................
...........
.. ..
...... Finish ........
...... .....
......
.. .. ... ...
.... .... 100 .. ..
...... ......
.
... .. ..
....... .......
......... . .
............. ..........
......................
......... ..................................
200

(A) 15 yards (B) 20 yards (C) 25 yards (D) 30 yards (E) 35 yards

(C) In order to run 700 yards, the runners must traverse both semicircular
ends. The runner in the first lane has an inner radius of 50 yards, while the
runner in the fifth lane has an inner radius of 54 yards. The difference in
distance is 2(54 50) = 8 25 yards.

8
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

25. Dick and Nick share their food with Albert. Dick has 5 loaves of bread, and
Nick has 3 loaves. They share the bread equally. Albert gives Dick and Nick
8 dollars which they agree to share fairly. How should they divide the $8
between them?

(A) Dick should get $3 of Alberts money. (B) Dick should get $4 of Alberts
money.
(C) Dick should get $5 of Alberts money. (D) Dick should get $6 of Alberts
money.
(E) Dick should get $7 of Alberts money.

(E) Albert pays $8 for his 8/3 loaves, so loaves must be worth $3 each. Nick
eats all but 1/3 of a loaf of his bread while Dick gives up 7/3 loaves. Thus
Dick should get $7 of Alberts money.

26. A 12 12 square is divided into n2 congruent squares by equally spaced lines

parallel to its sides. Circles are inscribed in each of the squares. Find the sum
of the areas of the circles.

(A) 6 (B) 12 (C) 24 (D) 36 (E) the answer depends on n

(D) The diameter of each of the n2 circles is 12/n, and each radius is 6/n.
Therefore, the area of each circle is (6/n)2 = 36/n2 and the total area of
the n2 circles is (36/n2 ) n2 = 36.

27. Consider a square with side length s. Let a denote the area of the inscribed
circle (which touches all four edges) and let A denote the area of the circum-
scribed circle (which goes through all four corners). Which of the following
holds?
1 1 2 2 3
(A) a = A (B) a = A (C) a = A (D) a = A (E) a = A
2 3 3 4

(A) Note that a = 12 A, since the radius of the inscribed circle is r = 21 s,

whileqby the Pythagorean theorem, the radius of the circumscribed circle is

R = ( 12 s)2 + ( 12 s)2 = s/ 2, so a = r2 = 14 s2 , A = R2 = 14 2s2 = 2a.

9
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

28. What is the positive zero of the function

1
f (x) = log 5x + 5 + log(2x + 1) log 15?
2

(A) 2 (B) log 15 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) f has no positive zero

(D) To find the zero, first solve log 5x + 5 + 12 log(2x + 1) = log 15. Then
1
2
{log(5x + 5)(2x + 1)} = log 15. Hence log(10x2 + 15x + 5) = log(152 ). It
follows that 10x2 +15x+5 = 152 = 225 which is equivalent to 2x2 +3x44 = 0,
the left side of which can be factored into (2x + 11)(x 4). Thus, x = 4 is the
positive zero of f .

29. Suppose that the equation x2 px + q = 0 has roots x = a and x = b. Which

of the following equations has roots x = a + b1 and x = b + a1 ?
! ! ! !
2 p 1 p 1
(A) x p + x + q + + 2 = 0. (B) x2 q + x + p + + 2 = 0.
q! q !
q! q !
2 q 1 2 q 1
(C) x p + x + q + + 2 = 0. (D) x p + x + p + + 2 = 0.
p! p !
p p
q 1
(E) x2 q + x+ q+ +2 =0
p p

(A) Note that q = ab and p = a+b. If the new equation is x2P x+Q  = 0,we
p
require that P = a+b + a + b = a+b + ab = p + q and Q = a + b b + a1 =
1 1 a+b 1

1
ab + 2 + ab = q + 2 + 1q .

30. Determine the sum of all the natural numbers less than 45 that are not divisible
by 3.

(A) 600 (B) 625 (C) 650 (D) 675 (E) 700

(D) The sum S of all the natural numbers less than 45 is S = 44 (1 + 44)/2 =
22 45 = 990, so the sum we want is S T where T = 3 + 6 + 9 + + 42 =
3(1 + 2 + + 14) = 3(14/2)15 = 315. Thus S T = 990 315 = 675.

10
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

31. Some hikers start on a walk at 10 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. One third of the
distance walked is uphill, one third is level, and one third is downhill. If their
speed is 4 miles per hour on level land, 2 miles per hour uphill, and 6 miles
per hour downhill, approximately how far did they walk?

(A) 18.4 miles (B) 19.6 miles (C) 22.1 miles

(D) 24.0 miles (E) 26.2 miles

(B) Suppose that they walk 3x miles, so that they walk x miles uphill, x
miles downhill, and x level miles. This takes a total time of x2 + x6 + x4 hours.
Setting this equal to 6 hours, we find x = 72/11 so that the total distance is
3x = 216/11 19.6 miles.

11
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

32. Two squares, each with side length 12 inches, are placed so that the corner of
one lies at the center of the other (see the diagram below). Suppose the length
of BJ is 3. What is the area of the quadrilateral EJCK?

(A) 25 in2 (B) 30 in2 (C) 36 in2 (D) 40 in2 (E) 49 in2

A
B F
....
....
. .
......... .....
..... ...
............... J ...
E ... ...
... ...
... ...
... ...
.
...
K.... C ..............
. . G
....
.
D
... ..........
.......
H
(C) Triangle EBJ is congruent to triangle ECK (see below), hence the area of
the quadrilateral EJCK is the same as the area of the triangle EBC which is
1
2
(6)(12) = 36 square inches.

A B
... F
.
. .
. .
.
..
... .
............
... ....... ...
...... ...........J... ...
...
.
.............. ...
. . .........
.
.
E.......... ...
........ ...
... ..... ...
... ...... ...
... ..... ...
... ...... ...
.

...
.
...
.
............. G
D K.... C .....
... ...
.. .. ........
... ....
... ...............
...
.
H

12
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

33. The natural numbers are arranged in groups as follows: {1}, {2,3}, {4,5,6},
{7,8,9,10}, etc. Note that there are always k numbers in the k th group. What
is the sum of the numbers in the 10th group?

(A) 260 (B) 369 (C) 452 (D) 505 (E) 638

(D) Note that the k th group ends with number L = k(k+1)

2
. Since there are
k numbers in the group, the group begins with number F = k(k+1)
2
(k 1).
 2 
F +L k2 +1 k +1
The average value of these numbers is 2 = 2 so the sum is k 2 .
When k = 10, the sum is 505.

34. Three points are selected simultaneously and randomly from the 3 by 3 grid of
lattice points shown. What is the probability that they are collinear? Express
your answer as a common fraction.

(A) 1/42 (B) 1/21 (C) 2/21 (D) 1/7 (E) 1/6

 
(C) There are 93 = 84 ways to choose the three points, and exactly 8 of these
result in collinear points.

35. Use each of the digits 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 exactly once to construct two three-digit
numbers M and N so that M N is positive and is as small as possible.
Compute M N .

(A) 33 (B) 35 (C) 39 (D) 41 (E) 47

(C) Since the hundreds digits must be different, the smaller of the numbers
N should have as large a tens digit as possible and the larger M should have
as small a tens digit as possible. So we should choose 8 and 2 for these digits
provided we can select the hundreds digits to be one apart. Given that the 2
and the 8 are not available, there are just two pairs that we can use, 3 and 4
and 6 and 7. Picking the tens digit of N to be as large as we can and the tens
digit of M to be as small as possible leads to M = 723 and N = 684. Thus
the answer we seek is 723 684 = 39. Another possible pair is M = 426 and
N = 387

13
UNC Charlotte 2002 Comprehensive

36. What is the largest factor of 11! that is one bigger than a multiple of 6?

(A) 55 (B) 77 (C) 385 (D) 463 (E) 1925

(C) Let N denote the largest such factor of 11! = 28 34 52 71 111 . Then N has a
factorization which can include only the primes 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11. But N must
not be even and also N cannot be divisible by 3, because otherwise it would
not be one bigger than a multiple of 6. Hence N = 5i 7j 11k where i = 0, 1 or 2,
j = 0 or 1, and k = 0 or 1. Examine these numbers starting with the largest
(i = 2, j = 1, k = 1), which leads to 1925 which is 5 larger than a multiple of
6. Next largest is the number obtained when i = 1, j = 1, and k = 1, which is
385, and this number is 1 larger than a multiple of 6.

14
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

1. For what value of k are the lines 2x + 3y = 4k and x 2ky = 7 perpendicular?
(A) 3/4 (B) 1/6 (C) 1/3 (D) 1/2 (E) 2/3
(C) The slope of the first line is 2/3 so the slope of the second, which is
1/2k, must be 3/2. Hence, k = 1/3.
2. Conard High School has 50 students who play on the baseball, football, and
tennis teams. Some students play more than one sport. If 15 play tennis, 25
play baseball, 30 play football, 8 play tennis and baseball, 5 play tennis and
football, and 10 play baseball and football, determine how many students play
all three sports.
(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 6
(B) Let T BF represent the number of students that play all three sports, let B
be the number of students that play baseball, let F be the number of students
that play football, and let T be the number of students that play tennis. Let
T B, BF, and T F represent the number of students who play the appropriate
combinations of the individual sports. Then a Venn diagram shows that the
total number of students, 50 equals T + B + F T B T F BF + T BF .
Therefore 50 = 15 + 25 + 30 8 5 10 + T BF which implies that T BF = 3.
Alternatively, label each region of the Venn diagram as shown.

......................................... .............................................
.......... ... .....
... .... .... ....
.... .... ..... ...
...
... ...8..... ...
T .. ..
. . .. .. .
..x
.
...
. ..... ... B
. ..
. . ................ .
... 2 + x ............... .... . ......7 + x ....
... ... .
... . ...... .
... ... .. .
... ..... 5 x ..... x ..10 x ...... ....
.... . .... ... ... .....
....... ........ . ..
.... .... ..... .......
... ........................................ .................................... .....
... ..
... .
... .
... 15 + x ...
... ..
....
..... .....
..
......
......... ............
.......................................
F
Then 4x + 24 3x + 23 = x + 47 = 50, so x = 3
3. Which of the following is an equation of the line tangent to the circle x2 +y 2 = 2
at the point (1, 1)?
(A) x = 1 (C) x +1y = 2 (D) x y = 0 (E) x + y = 0
(B) y = 1
(C) The center of our circle is (0, 0) and the line connecting the center of the
circle with (1, 1) has slope 1. Thus the tangent line must have slope 1 and
pass through (1, 1). The point-slope form of the equation of the tangent line
is y 1 = (x 1), which may be rearranged into x + y = 2.
4. Let r and s be the two solutions to the equation x2 3x + 1 = 0. Find r3 + s3 .
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

6. A recent poll showed that nearly 30% of European school children think that
1 1 2
+ = .
2 3 5
1
This is wrong, of course. Is it possible that a
+ 1b = 2
a+b
for some real numbers
a and b?

(A) Yes, but only if a + b = 1 (B) Yes, but only if a + b = 2

(C) Yes, but only if a2 + b2 = 1 (D) Yes, but only if a2 + b2 = 0
(E) No, it is not possible

(E) The given equation is equivalent to a+b ab

2
= a+b , which is true only if
a + 2ab + b = 2ab, but this can happen only when a + b2 = 0, which implies
2 2 2

that a = b = 0, in which case the equation is nonsense.

2
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

7. How many ordered pairs (a, b) of integers satisfy a2 = b3 + 1?

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

(E) Since b3 = a2 1 = (a 1)(a + 1), a + 1 could be the square of a 1. This

leads to the solution a = 3 and b = 2. By symmetry, the pair (a, b) = (3, 2)
also works. It could also happen that one of a 1 and a + 1 is zero. In these
cases, we get (1, 0), (1, 0), and (0, 1). In fact there are only five solutions,
but the proof is well beyond the scope of this contest. For more information
about this contact [email protected]

8. One leg of a right triangle is two meters longer than twice the length of the
other leg. The hypotenuse is four meters less than the sum of the lengths of
both legs. What is the perimeter of the triangle, in meters?

(A) 20 (B) 25 (C) 30 (D) 35 (E) 50

(C) The three sides have lengths x, 2x+2, and 3x2, and these numbers satisfy
the Pythagorean identity. Thus, x2 +(2x+2)2 = x2 +4x2 +8x+4 = 9x2 12x+4,
which is equivalent to 4x2 20x = 0, so the solutions are x = 0 and x = 5.
Therefore the perimeter is 5 + 12 + 13 = 30.

9. Fifteen numbers are picked from the 21-element set {1, 2, 3, . . . 20, 21}. What
is the probability that at least three of those numbers are consecutive?

(A) 0 (B) 0.5 (C) 0.9 (D) 0.99 (E) 1

(E) Consider the baskets {1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}, {7, 8, 9}, . . . , {19, 20, 21}. Put
each of the 15 numbers into the set it helps to name. There are 7 subsets and
15 numbers so, by the Pigeonhole Principle, at least one of the baskets must
have three members.

3
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

10. Margaret and Cyprian both have some nickels, dimes and quarters, at least
one of each type and a different number of each type. Margaret has the same
number of quarters as Cyprian has dimes, and she has the same number of
dimes as Cyprian has nickels. She also has the same number of nickels as
Cyprian has quarters. The value of their coins is the same. What is the
smallest possible total value of Margarets coins in cents?

(A) 85 (B) 95 (C) 105 (D) 125 (E) 135

(A) Let K denote this least number of cents Margaret could have and let n, d,
and q denote the number of nickels, dimes, and quarters respectively Margaret
has. Then 5n + 10d + 25q = K and 25n + 10q + 5d = K. Subtracting one
equation from the other yields d = 4n 3q. We want to minimize q, so we try
q = 1. Then n = 1 is not allowed so we try n = 2 and we get d = 5, so the
value of K is 85. The other possible values can be easily eliminated.

11. Let S denote the set {(2, 2), (2, 2), (2, 2), (2, 2)}. How many circles of
radius 3 in the plane have exactly two points of S on them?

(A) 6 (B) 8 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 16

(D) Each pair of points of S belongs to two circles of radius 3. There are no
three points on the same circle of radius 3. There are six pairs of points, so
there are 12 circles.

12. The sum of the cubes of ten consecutive integers is 405. What is the sum of
the ten integers?

(A) 10 (B) 15 (C) 20 (D) 23 (E) 24

(B) The integers cannot all be positive because the sum of the cubes would be
greater than 405. Testing a few cubes, we see that 43 +53 +63 = 64+125+216 =
405 so the ten integers must be 3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and their sum is
15.

13. Let M and N denote the two integers that are respectively twice and three
times the sum of their digits. What is M + N ?

(A) 27 (B) 36 (C) 45 (D) 54 (E) 60

(C) Note that both M and N must be two-digit numbers. Let M = 10a + b.
Then 2(a + b) = 10a + b and it follows that 8a = b and M = 18. Similarly, we
can show that N = 27, so their sum is 45.

4
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

14. How many positive integer triples (x, y, z) satisfy 1

x
+ yz = 13
21
, where x < 7 and
where y and z have no common divisors?

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

(D) There are just 5 integer values of x to try and each one works, so we
can find y and z by reducing the fraction yz = 13 21
x1 . The five solutions are
(x, y, z) = (2, 5, 42); (3, 2, 7); (4, 31, 84); (5, 44, 105); and (6, 19, 42).

15. Let D(a, b, c) denote the number of multiples of a that are less than c and
greater than b. For example, D(2, 3, 8) = 2 because there are two multiples of
2 between 3 and 8. What is D(93 , 94 , 96 )?

(A) 71 (B) 719 (C) 720 (D) 7200 (E) 72000

(B) The multiples of 93 between 94 and 96 are 10(93 ), 11(93 ), 12(93 ), . . . , (93
1)(93 ). The sequence 10, 11, 12, . . . , 93 1 has 719 members. Alternatively,
use the fact that for integers n m there are m n + 1 integers in the range
n m. So we have (93 1) 10 + 1 = 719, since 10 93 is the smallest multiple
of 93 that is larger than 94 = 9 93 and (93 1) 93 is the largest multiple of
93 that is smaller than 96 = 93 93 .

16. A 4 4 4 wooden cube is painted on all 6 faces and then cut into 64 unit
cubes. One unit cube is randomly selected and rolled. What is the probability
that exactly one of the five visible faces is painted?

(A) 5/16 (B) 7/16 (C) 15/31 (D) 31/64 (E) 1/2

(B) There are 6 4 = 24 cubes with one face painted, and these show one
painted face with probability 5/6. There are 12 2 = 24 cubes with two
painted faces and these show one painted face with probability 1/3. The other
16 cubes show one painted face with probability 0. So the probability that
one painted face shows is p = 24/64 5/6 + 24/64 1/3 = 7/16.

17. How many non-empty sets T of natural numbers satisfy the property: s T
implies 8s T . ?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

(D) Both s and 8s should be factors of 8 and T should contain the pair {s, 8s }.
Thus, the possible sets are T = {1, 2, 4, 8}, T = {1, 8}, and T = {2, 4}.

5
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

18. An interesting fact about circles is that if a line AB is tangent to a circle at

the point B and a different line through A intersects the circle in points C and
D as in the diagram below, then AB 2 = AC AD. If AC = 4, AD = 3 and
BC = 2, what is the measure of the angle DAB to the nearest degree? Note
that the chord BC does not pass through the center of the circle.

(A) 15 (B) 22.5 (C) 28 (D) 30 (E) 33

...... .C .
.............................................
...
.... . ...
.
..
D
.
............
. .
.
. ...
..
...
...... .. .. ...
...
......
. ... .
. ..
..
........
. ... .
. ..
....... ....
....... ... ........
.
..
...
.......... . . . .
............ ...
A .. B
2
(D) First note that AB = AC AD = 4 3 = 12. Then by the law of
2 2 2 2 2
BC = AC + AB 2AC AB cos DAB. Thus
cosines, 2 = 4 + 12
6

2 4 12 cos 6 DAB. We can solve cos 6 DAB = 24/(16 3) to get 6 DAB =

arccos 3/2 = 30.0 .

19. What is the smallest value of the positive integer n for which
1 1 1 1
+ + + +
12 23 34 n (n + 1)
1 1
is at least 1? Hint: Rewrite each k(k+1)
in the from a
1b .

(A) 10 (B) 100 (C) 1000 (D) 2002 (E) there is no such value of n

1 1 1
(E) Since k
k+1
= k(k+1)
, we get

1 1 1 1
+ + + + =
12 23 34 n (n + 1)
1 1 1 1 1 1
     
1 + + + = 1
2 2 3 n n+1 n+1

which is always less than 1.

6
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

20. Consider the number x defined by the periodic continued fraction

1
x= 1 .
2+ 3+ 1
1
2+ 3+

Then x =

1 3 3 15 3 + 15
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) None of these
3 7 2 2

1
(D) Note that x is embedded in its defining fraction, and that x = 1 .
2+ 3+x
2
to the quadratic 2x + 6x 3 = 0 which has two solutions,
This is equivalent
3 15 3+ 15
2
and 2
, the first of which is extraneous.

7
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

21. An octahedral net is a collection of adjoining triangles that can be folded into
a regular octahedron. When the net below is folded to form an octahedron,
what is the sum of the numbers on the faces adjacent to one marked with a 3?

(A) 13 (B) 15 (C) 17 (D) 18 (E) 19

....
..... ......
... 3 ......
..... ...
.
... ...... ..
... ......

...
... 8 .... ...... .
.
... ... 7 ... 1 .... 4 .....
... .. ... .. ...
... ... ...... ...
..... .
.
.
.
. ..... . ..
.
. .. ...
.
.... 2 ......5 .....
. ......
..... ..
...
... .
....
... 6 ...
... ...
... ..
..

(B) We can build the net in a different way showing all the faces except the
one with the 6, which is at the back in the figure below.

..
.
....................
.. . . .
. .
.... ... .... ......
.. . 1 . ..
.....3 .. ..... 4......
. .
...... ................ 7 ............... ......
.. ..... ... . ...... ...
.........................8........................5.................................
.
.
. ....
......... 2 ..............

Note first that the face with the 7 is adjacent to those with numbers 1, 5, and
8. Filling in those four values in the center triangles, we can then see that the
face with the 4 must be adjacent to those with the 1 and the 5 and similarly
with the faces marked 3 and 2. This shows that the face marked 3 is adjacent
to those marked with 1, 8 and 6 so the total value is 15.

8
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

22. The stairs leading up to to the entrance of Joes house have 5 steps. Playful
Joe is able to go up 1 step or 2 steps at a time. How many ways are there for
him to reach the top of the stairs? In other words, how many ways are there
to write 5 as a sum of 1s and 2s if the order of the summands matters?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 10

(D) One way is to list all possibilities: 1 + 2 + 2 = 5, 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 5,

2 + 1 + 2 = 5, 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 5, 2 + 2 + 1 = 5, 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 5,
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5, 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5.
Alternatively, we can denote by Fn the number of ways Joe can reach the top
of the stairs if there are n steps. The first leap is 1 step or 2 steps, and there
are Fn1 , respectively Fn2 ways to complete the procedure. This observation
proves the recursion formula Fn = Fn1 + Fn2 , where F1 = 1 and F2 = 2.
From here we see that Fn is the n-th Fibonacci number, and so F5 = 8.

23. How many of the 1024 integers in the set 1024, 1025, 1026, . . . , 2047 have more
1s than 0s in their binary representation?

(A) 252 (B) 512 (C) 638 (D) 768 (E) 772

(C) Each number in the set has an 11-digit binary representation that starts
with 1. Therefore it takes five more 1s in order to have more 1s than 0s.
Hence we can build sucha number
   by selecting
   five
 or 
more  places
 to put
 the
10 10 10 10 10 10 1 10 10
1s. Thus, the number is 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 = 2 2 5 +
 
10
5
= 386 + 252 = 638.

24. Suppose x and y are integers satisfying both x2 + y = 62 and y 2 + x = 176.

What is x + y?

(A) 20 (B) 21 (C) 22 (D) 23 (E) 24

(A) Subtract the former from the latter to get y 2 x2 (y x) = 114, which
factors, so that we can write (y x)(y + x 1) = 2 3 19. Trying various
combinations yields y x = 6 from which it follows that x = 7 and y = 13, so
their sum is 20. Alternatively, replace y with 62 x2 in the second equation
and use the graphing calculator. OR, use y x = 6 to conclude directly that
y + x 1 = 19 from the fact that (y x)(y + x 1) = 6 19, and therefore
y + x = 20.

9
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

25. Find all solutions of the equation log2 x + log2 (x + 2) = 3.

(A) There is one solution x, and x 3.

(B) There is one solution x, and 1 < x < 3.
(C) There are two positive solutions.
(D) There is one positive solution and one negative solution.
(E) There is are no solutions.

(B) Since log2 x(x + 2) = 3, we see that x(x + 2) = 23 . Solving this equation,
we obtain x = 2 and x = 4. But the negative solution is not valid since
log2 (4) is not defined.

26. Find the area of the polygon ABCDEF whose vertices are A = (1, 0), B =
(0, 2), C = (1, 1), D = (2, 2), E = (2, 0), and F = (0, 1).

(A) 4 (B) 4.5 (C) 5 (D) 5.5 (E) 6

(D) Looking at the diagram, the area of 4ABE is 3, the area of 4AEF is
1.5, and the area of 4CDE is 1. The total area is therefore 5.5.

B D
....... ....
.. . ......... ......
.. ......
.. . C .. ...
.
..
. ..
A .....
..... .. . ...........E
.
.................

F
27. Let f (a, b, c) = a+b
c
+ b+c
a
+ a+c
b
. An integer u exists such that f (u1, u, 2u) = 8.
What is the value of f (u2 3, 2u 3, 2u 4)?

(A) 2 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 8

(E) First solve 2u12u

3u
+ u1 + 3u1
u
= 8. The equation is equivalent to 14u2
11u + 3 = 8(2u)(u 1) which leads to u = 3. Thus we need to compute
f (6, 3, 2) which is 8. We can disregard the case u = 1/2

10
UNC Charlotte 2003 Comprehensive

28. Consider the trapezoid ABCD (see the diagram). Suppose M N is parallel to
DC, AB = a, DC = b, and M N = x. If the area of ABN M is half the area
of ABCD, express x as a function of a and b.
a+b ba 3b a
(A) x = (B) x = (C) x =
2 2 2

a2 + b 2
(D) x = a2 + b2 (E) x =
2

a .
A... ...B
....
..
.. x ........
M... ....N
....
.. ....
D .
.C

b
(E) Let m and n be lengths of the altitudes as shown in the diagram below.
Since the area of ABM N is half the area of ABCD, we have (m + n)( a+b
2
)=
x+a
2m( 2 ), which is equivalent to
n
(1 + )(b + a) = 2(x + a)
m
Furthermore, equating the areas of ABN M and M N CD we have m( a+x 2
)=
n( b+x
2
), so that n
m
= a+x
b+x
. Substituting into , we have (1 + a+x
b+x
)(b + a) =
2(x + a). After multiplying both sides by b + x and simplifying, we see that
a2 + b2 = 2x2 .
A.. ....B
.
.. . m ........
.. ....
M.. ...N
.
.. . n .......
D .C

Alternatively, we can use the similarity of the triangles of the figure below.

E
.....
... ........
.
A........................B ....
.. ....
.. ....
.
M...................................................N
....
.. ....
. ...
D C

11
 UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive
with solutions
March 8, 2004

1. Which of the following lines has a slope that is less than the sum of its x- and
y- intercepts?

(A) y = 2x + 1 (B) y = 3x/2 1 (C) y = 4x 1

(D) y = 4x + 16/3 (E) y = 3x
Solution: C. Check these to see that only y = 4x1 satisfies the condition.
2. Suppose a and b are positive integers for which (2a + b)2 (a + 2b)2 = 9. What
is ab?

(A) 2 (B) 6 (C) 9 (D) 12 (E) 24

Solution: A. Expand and cancel to get 4a2 + 4ab + b2 a2 4ab 4b2 = 9,
so 3a2 3b2 = 9. This can happen only if (a b)(a + b) = 3, which is true in
case a b = 1 and a + b = 3 since a + b cannot be negative. It follows that
a = 2 and b = 1, so ab = 2.
3. For which of the following values of a does the line y = a(x 3) and the circle
(x 3)2 + y 2 = 25 have two points of intersection, one in the 1st quadrant and
one in the 4th quadrant?

(A) 1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) None of A,B,C, and D

Solution: D. The line goes through the center of the circle, (3, 0) so it must
intersect the circle twice. For a = 1 the intersection includes a point in the
second quadrant. For a = 2, the line is y = 2x 6, so (x 3)2 + (2x 6)2 = 25,
which becomes (x 3)2 = 5, which has two positive solutions. For a = 0 the
intersection includes only points on the x-axis. For a = 1, the intersection
includes a point of the third quadrant.
Alternate Solution: The intersection of the circle with the y-axis is a pair of
points (0, 4) and (0, 4). The slope of the line through the center and (0, 4) is
4/3 and the slope of the line thought the center and the point (0, 4) is 4/3.
The lines with slopes 1, 0 and 1 cross the y-axis between (0, 4) and (0, 4),
so cannot intersect the circle in both the first and fourth quadrants. On the
other hand, a line through the center whose slope has absolute values greater
than 4/3 intersects the circle in both of these quadrants. Thus a = 2 works.
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

4. A two-inch cube (2 2 2) of silver weighs 3 pounds and is worth $320. How

much is a three-inch cube of silver worth?

(A) $480 (B) $600 (C) $800 (D) $900 (E) $1080

Solution: E. The value of a 3 3 3 cube is (27/8)(320) = 27 40 = 1080

dollars.
ax+b
5. The non-zero real numbers a, b, c, d have the property that cx+d
= 1 has no
2
solution in x. What is the value of a2a+c2 ?

(A) 0 (B) 1/2 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) an irrational number

Solution: B. Contestant Anders Kaseorg has pointed out to us that answer

E. is also correct. Note that if a 6= c, b = ka, and d = kc, then ax+b
cx+d
= ax+ka
cx+kc
=
a+k a2
c+k
6= 1. Let a = 1 and c = . Then a2 +c2 is irrational. The posers intended
to eliminate this counterexample by imposing the usual non-zero determinant
condition ad bc 6= 0. With this extra condition, the equation is solvable if
ax + b = cx + d which is equivalent to (a c)x = d b. This has a solution
2
unless a = c. Therefore a = c and it follows that a2a+c2 = 12 .

2
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

6. Find an ordered pair (n, m) of positive integers satisfying

1 1 1 2
+ = .
n m mn 5
What is mn?

(A) 5 (B) 10 (C) 15 (D) 20 (E) 45

Solution: B. By multiplying each fraction by 5mn, we can transform the

equation into the equivalent 2mn = 5(m n + 1). Notice that this implies
that either m or n is a multiple of 5. This leads us to try various multiples of
5 for m. Alternatively, transform the equation further to get

2mn 5m + 5n 5 = 0.

Subtract 15/2 from both sides so that we can factor to get

m(2n 5) + 5(2n 5)/2 = 15/2.

Massage this to get (2n 5)(2m + 5) = 15. Since m is positive, 2m + 5 > 0.

Therefore, 2n 5 < 0. The only values of n making 2n 5 < 0 are n = 1
and n = 2. The choice n = 1 requires m = 0. So the solution m = 5, n = 2 is
unique. Alternatively, clear the fractions to get 5(m + 1) 5n = 5m 5n + 5 =
2mn. Since m and n are positive integers, the same is true for 2mn. Thus
m + 1 > n and 5 5n 0. If n = 1, we would have 5m = 2m which is
impossible. Thus n > 1 and we have 5m > 2mn so 5 > 2n. Therefore the
only possible value for n is 2. Now simply solve for m: 5m 10 + 5 = 4m, so
m = 5 and mn = 10.

3
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

7. A standard deck of playing cards with 26 red and 26 black cards is split into
two non-empty piles. In pile A there are four times as many black cards as red
cards. In pile B, the number of red cards is an integer multiple of the number
of black cards. How many red cards are in Pile B?

(A) 16 (B) 18 (C) 20 (D) 22 (E) 24

Solution: C. Let r1 and b1 denote the number of red and black cards in pile
A, so the numbers in pile B must be r2 = 26 r1 and b2 = 26 b1 . Also, the
numbers r1 and b1 satisfy b1 = 4r1 and 26 r1 = k(26 b1 ) for some integer
k. Combining these equations and solving for r1 , we find that

26(k 1)
r1 = .
4k 1
Trying values of k starting at 2, we finally find that when k = 10, r1 is an
integer. Solving this we get r1 = 926
39
= 6 and thus r2 = 20. Alternate Solution:
Let r be the number of red cards in stack A and let b be the number of black
cards in stack A. Then 4r = b > 0 and 26 r = p(26 b) for some integer
p. Since b is even and p is an integer, r must be even. Thus b is a positive
integer multiple of 8. The only such numbers less than or equal to 26 are 8,
16 and 24. Having b = 8 requires r = 2. For this pair 24 = 26 2 is not an
integer multiple of 18 = 26 8. Having b = 16 requires r = 4. For this pair
22 = 26 4 is not an integer multiple of 10 = 26 16. But for b = 24 we have
r = 6 and 20 = 26 6 = 10(2) = 10(26 24).
For yet another approach, substitute 4r for b into the second equation and solve
for r to get r = 26(p1)/(4p1). If the denominator is not an integer multiple
of 13, then r will be. But that is impossible since 4r = b 26. Thus 4p 1
must be an odd integer multiple of 13. The smallest positive integer multiple
of 13 that is one less than a multiple of 4 is 39. This occurs when p = 10. The
corresponding value for r is 6. This yields b = 24. [Here is a formal proof that
this is the only positive integer solution: If 0 < r < s are integer multiples of
13 that are both one less than a multiple of 4, then s r is both an integer
multiple of 13 and an integer multiple of 4. Thus every positive integer multiple
of 13 that is both one less than a multiple of 4 and strictly larger than 39 is of
the form 39 + 4 13k = 39 + 52k for some positive integer k. Let q = 10 + 13k.
Then 4q 1 = 39 + 52k. Substitute q in for p in the fraction 26(p 1)/(4p 1)
and then replace q by 10+13k. The resulting fraction is 26(9+13k)/(39+52k)
which reduces to (18 + 26k)/(3 + 4k) = 6 + (2k/(3 + 4k)) > 6 since k > 0.

4
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

Obviously, 2k/(3 + 4k) is never an integer when k is a positive. So the only

solution is when p = 10.]

8. The graphs of x2 + y 2 = 24x + 10y 120 and x2 + y 2 = k 2 intersect when k

satisfies 0 a k b, and for no other positive values of k. Find b a.

(A) 10 (B) 14 (C) 26 (D) 34 (E) 144

Solution: B. The first circle (x 12)2 + (y 5)2 = 49 is centered at (12, 5)

and has radius 7, while the second is centered at (0, 0) and has radius k. The
two circle intersect when 6 k 20, so b a = 14.
Alternatively, let C be the circle given by the equation x2 +y 2 = 24x+10y120.
An equivalent equation for C is (x 12)2 + (y 5)2 = 49. So the radius of
C is 7 and the center is (12, 7). Let L be the line through the origin and the
point (12, 5), the center of C. Since the radius of C is less than 12, the line L
intersects C at two points in the first quadrant, call them P and Q and assume
the x-coordinate of P is smaller than the x-coordinate of Q. The point P must
be on the circle with center at (0, 0) and radius a and the point Q must be on
the circle with center at (0, 0) and radius b. Since P and Q are on the circle
C, on a line through the center of C and on the same line through the center
of the other two circles, the distance between P and Q is 14 = b a.

9. The product of three consecutive non-zero integers is 33 times the sum of the
three integers. What is the sum of the digits of this product?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 12 (D) 16 (E) 18

Solution: E. If the three integers are denoted n 1, n, and n + 1, then their

sum is 3n and their product is n(n2 1). Thus n(n2 1) = 33 3n = 99n,
from which it follows that n2 1 = 99 and so n = 10. The product is 990 and
the sum of the digits is 9 + 9 + 0 = 18.

5
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

10. The three faces of a rectangular box have areas of 40, 45, and 72 square inches.
What is the volume, in cubic inches, of the box?

(A) 300 (B) 330 (C) 360 (D) 400 (E) 450

2 2 2
Solution: C. Let x, y, and z denote the dimensions of the box.
Then, x y z =
xy xz yz = 40 45 72 = 129, 600. Therefore, xyz = 129, 600 = 360.
Alternatively, let x, y and z be the dimensions with xy = 40, xz = 45 and
yz = 72. Solve directly for x by solving yz = 72 for z and then substituting
into xz = 45 to get 72x/y = 45. Thus y = 72x/45. Substitute this into
xy = 40 to obtain 72x2 /45 = 40. This yields x2 = 25, so x = 5. Thus the
volume is x(yz) = 5(72) = 360. [Or solve for y or z.]

11. It is possible that the difference of two cubes is a perfect square. For example,
282 = a3 b3 for certain positive integers, a and b. In this example, what is
a + b?

(A) 12 (B) 14 (C) 16 (D) 18 (E) 20

Solution: C. Since 282 = a3 b3 is an even number, a and b must have the

same parity (either both are odd or both are even). In either case, ab is even.
Next note that b 6= 1 since 282 +13 is not a perfect cube. Therefore b 2. Note
that 282 = a3 b3 = (ab)(a2 +ab+b2 ). Now ab < 8 because ab 8 implies
that a2 + ab + b2 282 /8 = 98, but a b + 8 10 implies a2 + ab + b2 100.
Thus a b is an even factor of 282 that is less than 8. The only possibilities
are 2 and 4. Trying a b = 2 yields the quadratic a2 + ab + b2 = 196 which
reduces to (b + 2)2 + (b + 2)b + b2 = 196, which has no integer solutions. Trying
a b = 4 yields a = b + 4 and so (b + 4)2 + (4 + b)b + b2 = 282 4 = 196.
This reduces to 3b2 + 12b 180 = 0, which can be factored to yield roots of
b = 10 and b = 6. It follows that a = 10 and a + b = 16.
Alternatively, one could build a table with values 784 + n3 for integer values
of n and see when a perfect cube comes up. Yet another alternative is to
rewrite the equation as 282 + b3 = a3 . Since a and b are positive integers,
a3 > 282 = 784. Note that 1000 = 103 is larger than 784 and 729 = 93 is
smaller. Thus the smallest integer that might possibly work for a is a = 10.
This actually works since 1000 784 = 216 = 63 . So if there is a correct single
answer, it must be that a + b = 16.

6
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

12. Two women and three girls wish to cross a river. Their small rowboat will
carry the weight of only one woman or two girls. What is the minimum number
of times the boat must cross the river in order to get all five females to the
opposite side? At least one person must be in the boat each time it crosses
the river.

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 13 (E) 15

Solution: C. It takes 11 trips back and forth. We can write this as follows:
gg g w g gg g w g gg g gg where the first, third, fifth, etc symbol represents
a trip from the starting bank to the destination bank, and the symbols in the
even positions represent the return trips.

13. Maggie has 2 quarters, 3 nickels, and 3 pennies. If she selects 3 coins at
random, what is the probability the total value is exactly 35 cents?

(A) 3/56 (B) 2/28 (C) 5/56 (D) 3/28 (E) 7/56

Solution: D. Since the total value of the three coins is exactly 0.35, the coins
must be a quarter and two8nickels. There are 6 ways to pick a quarter and two
nickels out of a total of 3 = 56 ways to select three coins, so the probability
is 6/56 = 3/28.

14. The 4 168 rectangular grid of squares shown below contains a shaded square.
Let N denote the number of rectangular subregions that contain the shaded
square. What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 6 (B) 16 (C) 17 (D) 26 (E) 27

...

.......................... ...
..................
........
...

7
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

Solution: A. Each rectangular region is determined by two pairs of horizontal

and vertical lines. In order that the shaded square is inside the region, the lower
bounding line must be one of the bottom two, the upper boundary line must be
one of the top three, the left side must be one of the two left-most vertical lines
and the right boundary line must be one of the 167 vertical lines to the right
on the shaded square. Thus the number of regions is N = 2 3 2 167 = 2004
and the sum of the digits is 6.
Alternatively, count based on the height of the rectangle and position of bot-
tom left square from the grid that is part of the rectangle. A rectangle of
length one must have its bottom left square in the second column, and one
of length 168 must have its bottom left square in the first column. All other
lengths may have bottom left square in either of the first two columns. So for
rectangles of height 1, there is one of length 1, one of length 168, and two each
of all 166 other lengths. The same count works for rectangles of height 4
one of length 1, one of length 168 and two each of all 166 other lengths. For
rectangles of height 2, there are two of length 1, two of length 168, and four
each of all 166 other lengths. The same count works for rectangles of height 3
two of length 1, two of length 168, and four each of all 166 other lengths. Thus
there are six rectangles of length 1, six of length 168, and twelve of each other
length. Therefore the total number of rectangles is 2004 = 6 + 6 + 12 166.
The sum of the digits is 6.

15. Find the radius of the circle inscribed in a triangle whose sides are 8, 15, and 17.

.......
......
..........
...... ...................
... .. ..........
.... . ........
. ...
.............
........
.

(A) 2.5 (B) 2.7 (C) 2.9 (D) 3.0 (E) 3.2

8
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

Solution: D. Let r denote the radius. Since the triangle is a right triangle, its
area A is easily computed in two ways. First A = (1/2)bh = (1/2)15 8 = 60.
Also, we can break the triangle into three triangles by connecting the center
of the circle with each of the vertices. Then we get A by adding the areas of
these triangles together:
15r 8r 17r 40r
+ + = .
2 2 2 2
It follows that 40r = 2 60 and r = 3.
Alternatively, the distance from a point (s, t) to a line given by the equation
Ax + By + C = 0 is |As + Bt + C|/ A2 + B 2 . Position the triangle in the
plane so that the vertices are (0, 0), (0, 8) and (15, 0). Then the coordinates
of the center of the circle are (r, r) where r is the radius. An equation for
the line through (0, 8) and (15, 0) is 8x + 15y 120 = 0. By the formula, the
distance from (r, r) to this line is |8r + 15r 120|/ 82 + 152 = |120 23r|/17.
Of course this distance is also equal to r. In this case, 120 23r is positive.
So 120 23r = 17r, and r = 3. (The solution of 23r 120 = 17r is r = 20
which is too big to be the radius.)

16. A square and an equilateral triangle have the same perimeter. The area of
the triangle is 1. What is the area of the square? Express your answer as a
decimal to the nearest hundredth.

(A) 1.29 (B) 1.30 (C) 1.31 (D) 1.32 (E) 1.33

Solution: B. Suppose the triangle has perimeter 12a. Then each side of
2
the square has side 3a. The area of the triangle is given by 1 = (4a)4 3

from which it follows that a2 = 1/(4 3). Therefore the area of the square is
9a2 = 49 3 = 3 4 3 1.299 1.30.

9
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

17. Let S = 1 + 1/22 + 1/32 + + 1/1002 . Which of the following is true?

(A) S < 1.40 (B) 1.40 S < 2 (C) 2 S < 4

(D) 4 S < 100 (E) None of the above

Solution: B. Since 1 + 1/22 + 1/32 + 1/42 > 1.4, we can rule out option A.
On the other hand, S =

X
100 X
100 100 
X 
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2
2 2
= = 1 1 < 1 = 2.
n=1 n n=1 n (.5) n=1 n .5 n + .5 1 2 100 + 2
1 2

Alternatively, the sum 1 + 1/4 + 1/9 + 1/16 is between 1.42 and 1.43. So
the sum is larger than 1.4. For the rest use some rather crude estimates
based on the noticing that 1/n2 + 1/(n + 1)2 + + 1/(2n 1)2 is less than
n (1/n2 ) = 1/n and greater than n (1/(2n)2 ) = 1/4n. So 0.05 = 1/20 <
1/52 + 1/62 + 1/92 < 1/5 = 0.2, 1/40 = 0.25 < 1/102 + 1/112 + +
1/192 < 1/10 = 0.1, 1/80 = 0.0125 < 1/202 + + 1/392 < 1/20 = 0.05,
1/160 = 0.00625 < 1/402 + + 1/792 < 1/40 = 0.025 and 21 (1/1002 ) =
0.0021 < 1/802 + + 1/1002 < 21 (1/802 ) = 0.00328125. Thus the entire
sum is between 1.42 + 0.05 + 0.025 + 0.0125 + 0.00625 + 0.0021 = 1.50335 and
1.43 + 0.2 + 0.1 + 0.05 + 0.025 + 0.00328125 = 1.80828125 < 2.

18. The hypotenuse of an isosceles right triangle has a length of b units. What is
the area of the triangle.

(A) b (B) b2 (C) b2 /4 (D) 2b2 (E) 2b2

Solution: C. Since the hypotenuse is b, the Pythagorean Theorem gives sides

of length b/ 2. Since we have a right triangle,
the2 area is half the product of
1
the lengths of the two legs, or 2 b/ 2 b/ 2 = b /4.

19. A sphere of radius 2 is centered at (4, 4, 7). What is the distance from the
origin (0, 0, 0) to the point on the sphere farthest from the origin?

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 12

Solution: D. The distance

is 2 more than
the distance to the center of the
sphere, which is 2 + 42 + 42 + 72 = 2 + 81 = 11.

10
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

20. The six-digit number 5ABB7A is a multiple of 33 for digits A and B. Which
of the following could be A + B?

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 14

Solution: B. A rule for divisibility by 11 is that the alternating sum of the
digits should be a multiple of 11. Thus, divisibility by 11 implies that 2A +
B (B + 12) = 2A 12 is zero or 11. Since 2A 12 is even, it follows
that 2A 12 = 0 and that A = 6. So the number 56BB76 is a multiple of 3,
and this implies that B = 0, 3, 6 or 9. So A + B could be 6, 9, 12, or 15 only.
Alternatively, the sum of the digits is 12 + 2A + 2B. If the number is divisible
by 33, then it must be divisible by 3. Thus 3 divides 2A + 2B. Since 2 and 3
are primes, 3 must divide A + B. For the choices given, the factor of 11 is not
important as only one of the choices is a multiple of 3.

21. A box of coins contains two with heads on both sides, one standard coin with
heads on one side and tails on the other, and one coin with tails on both sides.
A coin is randomly selected and flipped twice. What is the probability that
the second flip results in heads given that the first flip results in heads?

(A) 0.6 (B) 0.7 (C) 0.8 (D) 0.9 (E) 0.95
Solution: D. The first flip of heads comes from a two-headed coin with prob-
ability 0.8 and the flip comes from a normal coin with probability 0.2, so the
probability that the second flip results in heads is 0.8 1 + 0.2 .5 = 0.9. Al-
ternatively, the conditional probability of event A occurring given that event
B equals the probability of both A and B occurring divided by the probabil-
ity event B occurs. So first calculate the probability both tosses are heads,
then divide by the probability the first toss is heads. The probability a par-
ticular coin is chosen is 1/4. Thus the probability both tosses are heads is
(1/4) 1 + (1/4) 1 + (1/4) (1/4) + (1/4) 0 = 9/16. For the first toss, the
probability of heads is (1/4) 1 + (1/4) 1 + (1/4) (1/2) = 5/8. Thus the
conditional probability is (9/16)/(5/8) = 9/10.

22. Let V denote the set of vertices of a cube. There are 83 = 56 triangles all of
whose vertices belong to V . How many of these are right triangles?

(A) 24 (B) 28 (C) 32 (D) 48 (E) 56

Solution: D. There are 24 right
triangles with edge lengths 1, 1, 2; 24 right
triangleswith
edge
lengths 1, 2, 3; and 8 equilateral triangles with edge
lengths 2, 2, 2.

11
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

23. The circle shown is a unit circle centered at the origin. The segment BC is a
diameter and C is the point (1, 0). The angle has measure 30 degrees. What
is the x-coordinate of the point A?

1 1 1 2 3
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
4 3 2 3 2
A
.
... ..........................................
.... ........ ....
...
... ............ ...
.................
....
.....
....
... .. . . .. . ... ...
.........
......
...
..... C
.
B ...
.....
. .
... ..
.... O ..
..... ...
.......... .............
............
Solution: C. Recall a fact from geometry: the angle (see below) is twice
the measure of the given angle. Then x = cos 60 = 1/2. Otherwise, sup-
pose that the coordinates of A are (x, y). Then y = (1 + x) tan = 1+x and
3
x2 + y2 = 1. Substituting y from the first equation into the second, we have
2
x2 + 1+x
3
= 1. After squaring and simplifying, we find 2x2 + x 1 =
(2x 1) (x + 1) = 0. The only positive root is 12 . Alternatively, note that
angle ACO is 60 . It follows that 4ACO is equilateral. Therefore, the projec-
tion of point A onto the x-axis is the midpoint of OC, namely, 1/2. Therefore
the x-coordinate of A os 1/2.
A
.... .
. ...........................................
.. .. .....
.... ....... .. ....
..... ............ ... ...
...
... ............ ... ...
.....................
.... .
.. .......
....... ..
.
. .. . . .. . ... .
.. .
. ...
. .......
. ..
. ....
B ....

.C
... O ..
... .
....
..... .. ...
.
........ .....
..................................

Alternate Solution: Let (r, s) be the coordinates of A. Then r2 + s2 = 1. Since

O is the center of the circle , the segments OB, OA and OC all have length 1.
Also 6 ABC is a right angle and the measure of 6 OCA is 60 . Thus 4 AOC

12
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

is equilateral. Then r2 + s2 = 1 and (r 1)2 + s2 = 1. Squaring out (r 1)2

and subtracting the second equation from the first yields 2r 1 = 0. Thus
r = 1/2.

24. If x, y, and z satisfy

x y z
= = = 3.
y6 z8 x 10
What is the value of x + y + z =

(A) 24 (B) 30 (C) 32 (D) 36 (E) 40

Solution: D. Add together the three equations, x = 3(y 6), y = 3(z 8),
and z = 3(x 10) to get x + y + z = 3(x + y + z 24), from which it follows
that x + y + z = 36. This does not prove that such x, y, z exist. However, you
can check to see that x = 180/13, y = 138/13 and z = 150/13 does work.

13
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

25. A space diagonal of a dodecahedron (ie, a regular 12-sided polyhedron as

shown below) is a segment connecting two vertices that do not lie on the same
face. How many space diagonals does a dodecahedron have?

(A) 64 (B) 90 (C) 100 (D) 120 (E) 150

..................................
................ .. .........
.... ... .. ... ..
... . ....... ......... ...
............................................................... ........ ......

.. .. ...... ... ..... ....
.............
... ... .. ...
... . .
.. .. .. ... .. ...
............... .. .
.... ..... . .. .. ..
.... ..... ..................................................
.... ........... ......... .......... ..
......... .......... .. .....
..... .. . ..
....... ..
......... ...........................
.....

Solution: C. Each of the 20 vertices is adjacent to three others, belongs to

the same pentagonal face and is not adjacent to six others, and is not on a
space diagonal with itself. So each vertex is the endpoint of 10 space diagonals.
Since there are 20 vertices, there are 200 such space diagonal endpoints, and
therefore 100 space diagonals.
Alternatively, first note that there are 30 edges
and there are 190 = 20 2
distinct line segments formed by connecting pairs of
vertices. Thus the total number of
5
diagonals is 160 = 190 30. Each face
has 5 edges and there are 10 = 1 distinct line segments connecting pairs of
vertices in any one face. Thus each face has 5 = 10 5 diagonals. These
are the non-space diagonals. Since there are twelve faces, the number of non-
space diagonals is 60 = 12 5. Therefore the number of space diagonals is
100 = 160 60.

14
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

26. A circle of radius r is rolled horizontally until the point A at the top becomes
the bottom A0 as shown. The distance A0 F is r. The point C is the intersec-
tion of the vertical line through A0 and the circle with diameter F G. What is
the area of the square A0 CDE?

A
...................... ......................
..... ... ..... ...
.... .. .. ...
... ... ... ..
...... G ...... .... 0 ...
..............
... ............. F..
........A

E
... ..
... .. .
.... .
......
.......... . ........
.....................C .
D

(A) 3r2 (B) r2 (C) 4r2 /3 (D) 2r2 (E) 4r2

Solution: B. Let x denote A0 C. Because triangle A0 CF is similar to triangle

A0 GC, x is the geometric mean of A0 G and A0 F ; that is, x2 = r r = r2 .
Therefore the area of the square is r2 .
Alternatively, first consider a more general problem where the distance between
A0 and F is s with s not necessarily equal to r. Then the distance between G
and A0 is s since the circle has made half a revolution. Let x be the distance
from A0 to C, y the distance from G to C and z the distance from F to C.
Since C, G and F are on a circle with G and F and endpoints of a diameter,
6 GCF is a right angle. Since 6 GA0 C is also a right angle, x2 + 2 s2 = y 2 ,

x2 + r2 = z 2 and y 2 + z 2 = (s + r)2 = 2 s2 + 2sr + r2 . Adding the first two

together yields 2x2 + 2 s2 + r2 = 2 s2 + 2sr + r2 . Thus the area of square in
the general setting is sr. Since s = r in this problem, the area of the square
is r2 .

15
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

27. Let L(n) denote the smallest number of vertical and horizontal line segments
needed to construct exactly n non-overlapping unit squares in the plane. Thus,
L(1) = 4, L(2) = 5, L(3) = 6, L(4) = 6, and L(100) = 22. What is L(2004)?

(A) 92 (B) 93 (C) 94 (D) 95 (E) 96

Solution: A. We can construct 452 = 2025 unit squares with 45 + 1 + 45 + 1 =

92 segments, half horizontal and half vertical. Note that 2004 = 452 25 + 4,
so there is hope to accomplish the construction with 92 lines. Let 84 of the
lines have length 45; 4 have length 41; 3 have length 40, and 1 with length
44. On the other hand, the maximum number of unit squares that can be
constructed using 91 segments is 44 45 = 1980, so 91 lines is not sufficient.

Alternate Solution: An additive approach. For a perfect square m2 , the

minimum number of lines needed is 2 (m + 1). The minimum is obtained by
making an m m grid using m + 1 vertical line segments and m + 1 horizontal
line segments. To make m2 + 1 through m2 + m unit squares, simply add
one more vertical segment and extend the appropriate number of consecutive
horizontal ones to get the required number. For more than m2 + m and up to
(m + 1)2 , add one horizontal segment to the m + 1 m gridand extend the
appropriate number of consecutive vertical segments. Since 2004 44.77,
the largest perfect square that is less than or equal to 2004 is 44. The difference
2004 442 = 68 is greater than 44, so the minimum number of lines for 2004
is 92 = 2 (45 + 1), the same minimum for 452 .

16
UNC Charlotte 2004 Comprehensive

28. A convex polyhedron P has 47 faces, 35 of which are triangles, 5 of which

are quadrilaterals, and 7 of which are pentagons. How many vertices does P
have? Hint: Recall that Eulers theorem provides a relationship among the
number f of faces, the number e of edges, and the number v of vertices of a
polyhedron:
e + 2 = f + v.

(A) 32 (B) 34 (C) 35 (D) 38 (E) 40

Solution: C. The number of edges is 21 (35 3 + 5 4 + 7 5) = 80. By Eulers

formula, e + 2 = f + v = 82, it follows that there are 82 47 = 35 vertices.
This polyhedron is called a gyroelongated pentagonal cupolarotunda (J47).

29. A 4 4 4 wooden cube is painted on five of its faces and is then cut into
64 unit cubes. One unit cube is randomly selected and rolled. What is the
probability that exactly two of the five visible faces is painted?

(A) 15/64 (B) 17/64 (C) 29/128 (D) 23/96 (E) 71/256

Solution: D. There are four cubes with paint on three adjacent faces, 20 cubes
with paint on two (adjacent) faces, and 28 cubes with only one painted face.
The other 12 cubes have no painted faces. A cube with three painted faces has
probability 1/2 of landing so that two of the faces can be seen, and a cube with
2 painted faces has probability 2/3 of landing so that two painted faces are
showing. Thus the probability we seek is (4/64)(1/2)+(20/64)(2/3) = 23/96.

30. Let D(n) denote the leftmost digit of the decimal representation of n. Thus,
D(54 ) = D(625) = 6. What is D(62004 )?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 8 (E) 9

Solution: B. Note that log 62004 = 2004 log 6 = 1559.415 . . . which means
that 62004 is a 1560 digit number that begins with the same digits as 10.415... =
2.6007 . . ., so we have 62004 = 26007 . . . and D(62004 ) = 2.

17
 UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive
March 7, 2005

1. The numbers x and y satisfy 2x = 15 and 15y = 32. What is the value xy?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) none of A, B, C or D

Solution: C. Note that (2x )y = 15y = 32 so 2xy = 25 and xy = 5.
2. Suppose x, y, z, and w are real numbers satisfying x/y = 4/7, y/z = 14/3, and
z/w = 3/11. When (x + y + z)/w is written in the form m/n where m and n are
positive integers with no common divisors bigger than 1, what is m + n?

(A) 20 (B) 26 (C) 32 (D) 36 (E) 37

Solution: D. Calculate x/w, y/w and compute the sum. For example, x/w =
4/7 14/3 3/11 = 8/11 and y/w = 14/3 3/11 = 14/11, so (x + y + z)/w =
(8 + 14 + 3)/11.
3. Let m be an integer such that 1 m 1000. Find the probability of selecting
at random an integer m such that the quadratic equation
6x2 5mx + m2 = 0
has at least one integer solution.

(A) 0.333 (B) 0.5 (C) 0.667 (D) 0.778 (E) 0.883
Solution: C. The quadratic equation has two solutions
m
x =
2
m
x =
3
There are 500 multiples of 2, 333 multiples of 3, and 166 multiples of 6 between
1 and 1000. Therefore, the probability is
500 + 333 166
p = = 0.667
1000
4. Let z = x + iy be a complex number, where x and y are real numbers. Let A
and B be the sets defined by
A{z | |z| 2} and B = {z| (1 i)z + (1 + i)z 4}.

Recall that z = x iy is the conjugate of z and that |z| = x2 + y 2 . Find the
area of the region A B.

(A) /4 (B) 2 (C) ( 2)/4 (D) 4 (E) 4

Solution: B. Since
A = {(x, y)|x2 + y 2 4}
B = {(x, y)|x + y 2}
the area of AB is one-fourth the area of the circle minus the area of the triangle
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

6
5. The area of the a b rectangle shown in the picture below is 5
of the area of
the circle. Assuming b > a, what is the value of ab ?
...............................
.
... ........... .......
...... .....
....
.. ... ...
.. ...
... ...
.. ...
... a ...
... .
... ...
... ..
.... b ...
... .
.....
........ .
... .
.....
.............. ................
..........

(A) 2 (B) 2.5 (C) 3 (D) 3.25 (E) 3.5

Solution: C. By the

Pythagorean Theorem, the diameter of the circle is a2 + b 2 ,
a2 +b2 a2 +b2
and the radius is 2
. The area of the circle is 4 , so we need to solve
the equation

a2 + b2 6
ab= , that is, a b = 0.3(a2 + b2 ).
4 5
Dividing both sides by a2 and rearranging yields
!2
b b
0 = 0.3 + 0.3,
a a

a quadratic equation in ab . According to the quadratic formula

b 1 1 0.36 1 0.64 1 0.8 1
= = = = 3 or .
a 0.6 0.6 0.6 3
b
Since b > a, the only solution is a
= 3.

2
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

6. In the right triangle ABC the segment CD bisects angle C, AC = 15, and
BC = 9. Find the length of CD.

(A) 9 5/2 (B) 11 (C) 9 6/2 (D) 12 (E) 15 3/2

.C
...
............
...
15............ ...
.. . 9
..
........ ...
.
...
. .
...... ..
A D B
12

Solution: A. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find that AB = 12. Then use
the angle bisector theorem that says in a triangle, an angle bisector divides the
opposite sides into two parts proportional to the adjacent sides. Thus AD/15 =
DB/9. It follows from
this that DB = 9/2. Use the Pythagorean Theorem again
to see that CD = 9 5/2.
Alternate proof using trigonometry: Let z be the length of segment CD and let
be the measure of angle 6 DCB. Then cos() = 9/z and cos(2) = 9/15 =
2 cos2 () 1 = (162/z 2 ) 1. Solve for z to get z = 9 5/2.

7. The product of the two roots of the equation log x + log(x + 2) = 3 is equal to

(A) log 2 (B) 103 (C) log 2 (D) 103 (E) The equation has only one root

Solution: E. Note that log x + log(x + 2) = log(x(x + 2)) = 3 which implies that
x2 + 2x = 103 from 2 3
which it follows that x + 2x 10 = 0. . But one of the
roots, x = 1 1 + 103 is not in the domain of log x.

3
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

8. The polynomial p(x) = 2x4 x3 7x2 + ax + b is divisible by x2 2x 3 for

certain values of a and b. What is the sum of a and b?

(A) 34 (B) 30 (C) 26 (D) 18 (E) 30

Solution: A. Because x2 2x 3 = (x 3)(x + 1) p(x) has zeros of 3 and
1, p(3) = 72 + 3a + b = 0 and p(1) = 4 a + b = 0 which we can solve
simultaneously to get a = 19 and b = 15.
Alternatively, simply start by dividing 2x4 x3 7x2 + ax + b by x2 2x 3 by
long division. The last step is to subtract 5x2 10x15 from 5x2 +(9+a)x+b.
The difference must be 0. So b = 15 and 9 + a = 10. Thus a = 19 and
a + b + 34. No factoring is done.
Yet another method is to factor x2 2x 3 and see that it has two zeros, x = 3
and x = 1. Use synthetic division (starting with either zerohere starting with
x = 1) to see that (1) b a 4 = 0, and (2) 2x4 x3 7x2 + ax + b =
(x + 1)(2x3 3x2 4x + a + 4). Now use synthetic division with x = 3 on the
quotient 2x3 3x2 4x + a + 4 to see that a + 19 = 0. Thus a = 19. Put this
into (1) to see that b = 15, etc.

9. One hundred monkeys have 100 apples to divide. Each adult gets three apples
while three children share one. How many adult monkeys are there?

(A) 10 (B) 20 (C) 25 (D) 30 (E) 33

Solution: C. Assume there are x adults and y children, then x + y = 100 and
3x + (1/3)y = 100. Solving simultaneously leads to x = 25 and y = 75.

10. Let x and y be the positive integer solution to the equation

1 1
+ = 5/6.
x+1 y1
Find x + y.

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

Solution: D. Since x and y are natural numbers, y 2. Let u = x + 1 and
v = y 1, u and v are natural numbers with u 2 and v 2. One of 1/u and
1/v is at least half of 5/6, so either u 12/5 = 2.4 or v 12/5 = 2.4. Consider
the two cases: case one, u = 2 so x = 1 then v = 3 then y = 4; case two, v = 2
so y = 3 then u = 3 then x = 2. In either case, x + y = 5.

11. Let x and y be two integers that satisfy all of the following properties:

4
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

(a) 5 < x < y,

(b) x is a power of a prime and y is a power of a prime, and
(c) the quantities xy + 3 and xy 3 are both primes.

Among all the solutions, let (x, y) be the one with the smallest product. Which
of the following statements is true? Note the list of primes on the last page.

(A) x + y is a perfect square (B) the number xy is prime

(C) y = x + 3 (D) y = x + 1 (E) x + y = 17

Solution: D. From the condition (c), we examine pairs of prime numbers that
differ by 6. Listing the primes gives 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 43, 47,
53, 59, 61, . . .. Now by checking we can see that the pair 53 and 59 is the first
pair of primes that satisfies all conditions a, b, and c; therefore, xy = 56 and
x = 7, y = 23 .
Alternate solution: (i) start a list of the integers larger than 5 that are powers of
primes, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 17,...; (ii) note that the smallest product with x < y is
7 8 which just happens to be exactly 3 more than the prime 53 and 3 less than
the prime 59.

12. In a 10-team baseball league, each team plays each of the other teams 18 times.
No game ends in a tie, and, at the end of the season, each team is the same
positive number of games ahead of the next best team. What is the greatest
number of games that the last place team could have won.

(A) 27 (B) 36 (C) 54 (D) 72 (E) 90

Solution: D. The number of games played is 18(1 + 2 + + 9) = 810. If n
is the number of wins of the last-place team, and d is the common difference of
wins between successive teams, then n + (n + d) + (n + 2d) + + (n + 9d) =
10n + 45d = 810 so 2n + 9d = 162. Now n is the maximum when d is a minimum
(but not zero, because there are no ties). The smallest integral value of d for
which n is integral is d = 2. Thus n = 72.

13. Suppose f is a real function satisfying f (x + f (x)) = 4f (x) and f (1) = 4. What
is f (21)?

(A) 16 (B) 21 (C) 64 (D) 105 (E) none of A, B, C or D

Solution: C. Note that f (1 + f (1)) = 4f (1) = 16, so f (5) = 16. Next, f (21) =
f (5 + f (5)) = 4f (5) = 64.

5
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

14. Suppose sin + cos = 0.8. What is the value of sin(2)?

(A) 0.36 (B) 0.16 (C) 0 (D) 0.16 (E) 0.36

Solution: A. Note that 0.64 = (sin + cos )2 = sin2 + cos2 + 2 sin cos =
1 + 2 sin cos = 1 + sin(2), so sin(2) = 0.36.

15. The product of five consecutive positive integers divided by the sum of the five
integers is a multiple of 100. What is the least possible sum of the five integers?

(A) 605 (B) 615 (C) 620 (D) 625 (E) 645

Solution: B. If the numbers are denoted k 2, k 1, k, k + 1 and k + 2, then

(k 2)(k 1)k(k + 1)(k + 2) 5k = 100K for some integer K. This can happen
only when one of the integers k 2, k 1, k + 1, k + 2 is a multiple of 125 since
only one of these numbers can be a multiple of 5. Let k + 2 = 125 to minimize
the sum. Then 5 123 = 615.

6
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

16. Two parallel lines are one unit apart. A circle of radius 2 touches one of the lines
and cuts the other line. The area of the circular
cap between the two parallel
lines can be written in the form a/3 b 3. Find the sum a + b of the two
integers a and b.

....................
..... ...
... ...
... ..
... .
...... .......
............

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: C. The cap is a segment minus the triangle OAB as shown below.
The central angle of the segment is 120 . The circular segment covers one third
of the circle and hence has area 4/3. Hence a = 4. The triangle is isosceles
with
height 1 and twocongruent sides of length 2. Its third side has length 2 3 and
hence its area is 3. Hence b = 1 and a + b = 5.

.........
....... ........
.... O ....
... .............. ...
......... .........
. .
A ...................... B

17. For each positive integer N , define S(N ) as the sum of the digits of N and P (N )
as the product of the digits. For example, S(1234) = 10 and P (1234) = 24. How
many four digit numbers N satisfy S(N ) = P (N )?

(A) 0 (B) 6 (C) 12 (D) 24 (E) None of the above

Solution: C. The only numbers satisfying the condition are those permutations
of the digits 1, 1, 2, 4. There are 12 such permutations.

7
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

18. Consider a quadrilateral ABCD with AB = 4, BC = 10 3, and 6 DAB =
150 , 6 ABC = 90 , and 6 BCD = 30 . Find DC.

.C
.....
..
....
.
...
.....
...
.....
D......
.......
.......
.
A B

(A) 16 (B) 17 (C) 18 (D) 19 (E) 20

Solution: B. Refer to the diagram below.

C
..
.....
..
....
.
...
.....
...
.....
D.......
.
... .............
...
E A B

EC = BC/ cos 30 = 20, EB = EC sin 30 = 10. Therefore EA = 6. Because

4EAD is a right triangle with 6 EAD = 30 and hypotenuse EA = 6 , ED = 3.
Consequently, DC = 20 3 = 17.

8
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

19. Solve the equation x+1+x1 = 3 for x.
x+1 x1

(A) 4/3 (B) 5/3 (C) 7/5 (D) 9/5 (E) none of A, B, C or D

Solution: B. Cross multiplying and simplifying, we obtain 2 x 1 = x + 1.
Squaring both sides yields 4 (x 1) = x + 1 or 3x = 5. Thus, x = 5/3.

20. Two rational numbers r and s are given. The numbers r + s, r s, rs, and s/r
are computed and arranged in order by value to get the list 1/3, 3/4, 4/3, 7/3.
What is the sum of the squares of r and s?

(A) 9/25 (B) 4/9 (C) 9/4 (D) 25/9 (E) 6

Solution: D. Because both rs and r + s are positive, both r and s are positive.
Since r s > 0, it follows that s < r and thus s/r < 1. Thus either s/r = 1/3
or s/r = 3/4. If s/r = 1/3 then 3s = r and r + s = 4s and r s = 2s. In case
s/r = 3/4, then 4s = 3r and r + s = r + 3r/4 = 7r/4 and r s = r 3r/4 = r/4
so r + s = 7(r s). It follows that r + s = 7/3 and r s = 1/3. From this it
follows that r = 4/3, s = 1 and r2 + s2 = 25/9.
An alternate solution starts the same way, with rs and r + s positive, so both r
and s are positive. Thus r > s and s/r < 1. But then r + s > r s, so r + s
must be greater than 1 since only two of the numbers are less than 1. Consider
(r + s)2 = r2 + 2rs + s2 . If r + s = 4/3, then s/r and r s are the two numbers
less than one leaving rs = 7/3. But then the left side is (r + s)2 = 16/9 and the
right side is r2 + 2rs + s2 = 14/3 + r2 + s2 > 14/3 > 16/9, a contradiction. So
we must have r + s = 7/3 and 49/9 = (r + s)2 = r2 + 2rs + s2 r2 + s2 + 8/3.
Thus 25/9 r2 + s2 < 49/9 < 6 and therefore the only choice is 25/9.

21. How many pairs of positive integers satisfy the equation 3x + 6y = 95 ?

(A) none (B) one (C) two (D) three (E) four

Solution: A. If x and y are integers, then 3x + 6y = 3 (x + 2y) is divisible by 3.

Since 95 is not divisible by 3, there is no such solution.

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UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

22. Suppose all three of the points (2, 10), (1, 8), and (4, 10) lie on the graph of
y = ax2 + bx + c. What is abc?

(A) 24 (B) 0 (C) 12 (D) 24 (E) 48

Solution: E. By symmetry, the vertex must be the point (x, y) = ((2 +

4)/2, y) = (1, y) = (1, 8), so b/2a = 1. Evaluating at 1 yields a12 2a1+c =
8. Replacing b and c with their values in terms of a, a(2)2 2a(2)+a8 = 10
from which it follows that a = 2, whence b = 4 and c = 6.Thus the product
is 48.
Alternatively, write the three conditions

4a 2b + c = 10 (1)
a + b + c = 8 (2)
16a + 4b + c = 10 (3)

Subtracting (2) from (1), we have 3a 3b = 18 so a b = 6. Subtracting (1)

from (3) gives 12a + 6b = 0 so 2a + b = 0. We now find 3a = 6 so a = 2, then
b = a 6 = 4, and c = 8 a b = 6 and their product is 48.
Alternate solution using properties of parabolas. (1) First step is the same, use
symmetry to get that the x-coordinate of the vertex is x = 1. (2) Next note that
the point (4, 10) is 3 units to the right of the vertex and 18 = 2 32 units above
the vertex, this implies that a = 2. (3) Since b/2a = 1, b = 4. Plugging in any
of the three x-coordinates and calculating to get the corresponding y-coordinate
yields c = 6.

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UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

23. An amount of $2000 is invested at r% interest compounded continuously. After

four years, the account has grown to $2800. Assuming that it continues to grow
at this rate for 16 more years, how much will be in the account?

(A) $8976.47 (B) $9874.23 (C) $10001.99

(D) $10756.48 (E) $2004.35

Solution: D. Use the formula A = P ert where r is the annual rate of interest,
t is the time in years, P is the principle, and A is the amount in the account at
time t. Then 2800 = 2000e4r , which implies that r = log 1.4/4. So the amount
in the account after 4 + 16 = 20 years is A = 2000e20r = 2000 (eln 1.4/4 )20 =
2000(1.4)5 = 10756.48.
Alternate solution: Since 16 is an integer multiple of 4, all that matters is that
we start with $2000 and have $2800 after four yearsthe type of compounding
doesnt matter. Based on compounding on a four year cycle, the (decimal) rate
is 800/2000 = .4. So we simply use 5 compoundings at this rate to see that
the amount in the account will be A = 2000 (1.4)5 = 10, 756.48.

11
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

24. Two sides of an isosceles triangle have length 5 and the third has length 6. What
is the radius of the inscribed circle?

(A) 1 (B) 1.25 (C) 1.5 (D) 1.75 (E) 2

Solution: C. The altitude associated to the side of length 6 cuts the isosceles
triangle into two congruent right triangles. The hypotenuse in these right trian-
gles is 5, and one of the legs has length 3. By the Pythagorean Theorem, the
height of the triangle is 4. Hence the area is A = (6 4)/2 = 12 square units,
while the semiperimeter is s = (5 + 5 + 6)/2 = 8 units. The radius of the
inscribed circle satisfies A = s
Alternate solution. Let AB and AC be the sides of length 5 in the triangle
4ABC and let P be the center of the inscribed circle. Let R be the point
where the circle is tangent to side AB and let D be the foot of the perpen-
dicular from A to the side BC. By the Pythagorean Theorem, the length of
AD is 4. Thus the length of segment AP is 4 r. Finally, let be the mea-
sure of angle 6 BAD = 6 RAP . Then sin() = 3/5 = r/(4 r), the first value
based on 4ADB and the second based on 4AP R. Solving yields r = 1.5.

A
.............
.. ...
.....................................
.
.. ......
R........... ....
. .
.... .......... ......
.
.... .. ........
.. ... ... P . ...
.
.
.. ... .. .......
...
. .... . ....
.... ...... . ..... ....
.
. ...................... . .. ....
B .. C
D

If P is the incenter of 4ABC, the triangles AP B, BP C, CP A have areas given by 21 AB, 12
BC, 12 CA so the area of 4ABC is 12 (AB + BC + CA) = s, and so we get = A/s = 12/8 = 3/2.

12
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

25. Consider the circle x2 14x + y 2 4y = 49. Let L1 and L2 be lines through the
origin O that are tangent to the circle at points A and B. Which of the following
is closest to the measure of the angle AOB?

(A) 35.1 (B) 34.8 (C) 33.6 (D) 32.8 (E) 31.9

Solution: E. One of the tangent lines is the x-axis since the radius of the circle is
2 and the center is at (7, 2). Therefore the angle is given by 6 AOB = 2 tan1 27
31.9 .

26. Three digits a, b, and c are selected from the set {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}, one at
a time, with repetition allowed. What is the probability that a > b > c?

(A) 3/25 (B) 4/25 (C) 1/5 (D) 6/25 (E) 7/25

 
Solution: A. There are 103 ways to pick three digits, and 6 10 3
= 720 ways pick
three different digits. In exactly one case out of six, the digits are in order, so
the probability is 120/1000 = 3/25.

27. Let p denote the smallest prime number greater than 200 for which there are
positive integers a and b satisfying

a2 + b2 = p.

What is a + b? Note the list of primes on the last page.

(A) 16 (B) 17 (C) 18 (D) 19 (E) 20

Solution: B. Note that a2 + b2 is even if both a and b have the same parity.
Since a2 + b2 is odd, one of a and b is odd and the other is even. Suppose a
is odd. Then a2 = (2k + 1)2 = 4k 2 + 4k + 1 is one bigger than a multiple of
4. Also b2 = (2l)2 = 4l2 is a multiple of 4.. Thus a2 + b2 is one bigger than a
multiple of 4. Checking 201, 205, 209, 213, 217, 221 and 225, we find that none
are prime (11|209, 7|217 and 13|221). Therefore 229 is the first viable candidate.
And 229 = 22 + 152 , so a = 2 and b = 15 and a + b = 17.

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UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

28. Four positive integers a, b, c and d satisfy abcd = 10!. What is the smallest
possible sum a + b + c + d?

(A) 170 (B) 175 (C) 178 (D) 183 (E) 185

Solution: B. Note that 10! = 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 = 28 34 52 7. The sum

a
+ b + c + d is smallest
if all four numbers are equal, in which case a + b + c + d =
4 2 4
4 10! = 2 3 5 7 174.58. Hence a + b + c + d 175. This optimum is
obtained for a = 40, b = 42, c = 45, and d = 48.

29. The faces of a cube are colored red and blue, one at a time, with equal probability.
What is the probability that the resulting cube has at least one vertex P such
that all three faces containing P are colored red?

(A) 1/4 (B) 5/16 (C) 27/64 (D) 1/2 (E) None of the above

Solution: C. The expansion (r+b)6 = 1r6 +6r5 b+15r4 b2 +20r3 b3 +15r2 b4 +6rb5 +
1b6 provides an inventory of the 64 possible colorings of the cube. For example
the coefficient 15 of the term r4 b2 can be interpreted as saying that there are 15
ways to build the cube with four red faces and two blue faces. Among all 64
possible cubes, those with 6 red (only one of these), or with 5 red faces (there
are 6 of these) must have such a vertex. Among the 15 with 4 red faces, 12 have
such a vertex (they correspond to the 12 edges) and among the 20 with 3 red
faces, exactly 8 (these correspond to the eight vertices) have such a vertex. So
the number of good cubes is 27, and the probability is 27/64.
Or, there are six sides, so the number of ways the cube can be painted is 26 = 64.
To have no such vertex P is the same as having some pair of opposite sides both
blue. Thus there are at most three patterns with more than three red sides but
with no vertex P . There are exactly 20 ways to have exactly three red sides. So
(64 20)/2 with more than three red sides. Thus 19 = 22 3 is the number with
at least one vertex P and more than three red sides. To have exactly three red
sides and no vertex P , exactly one pair of opposite sides is red. There are three
such pairs, and for each of these there are four choices for the other red side. So
there are 8 = 20 12 with a vertex P . Alternately, simply pick one of the eight
vertices to be the one at the intersection of the three red sides. The total number
with at least one vertex P is 27. So the probability is 27/64.

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UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

30. Let a, b, c, and d denote four digits, not all of which are the same, and suppose
that a b c d. Let n denote any four digit integer that can be built using
these digits. Define K(n) = dcba abcd. The function K is called the Kaprekar
function. For example K(1243) = 4321 1234 = 3087. A four-digit integer M is
called a Kaprekar number if there is a four-digit integer N such that K(N ) = M .
Which of the following is not a Kaprekar number?

(A) 2936 (B) 7263 (C) 5265 (D) 3996 (E) 6264

Solution: A. Each Kaprekar number is the difference of two numbers with the
same digit sum. These two numbers, dcba and abcd yield the same remainder
when divided by 9. Hence their difference is a multiple of 9. Only 2936 is not
a multiple of 9. On the other hand, K(A) = B, K(B) = C, K(C) = D, and
K(D) = E.
Rather involved alternate solution: Write the numbers as 1000d + 100c + 10b + a
and 1000a+100b+10c+d. Then the difference is 1000(da)+100(cb)+10(b
c)+(ad). M = 1000w +100x+10y +z has four digits, so it must be that a < d.
Thus a d < 0. This means the units digit of M must be z = 10 + a d > 0,
the 10 must be deducted from 10(b c).
If b = c, then the tens digit of M will be a 9, as will the hundreds digit and
the thousands digit will be d a 1. The possibilities are z = 1, y = x = 9
and w = 8 (example: a = 0 b = c d = 9); z = 2, y = x = 9 and w = 7
(a = 1 b c d = 9); z = 3, y = x = 9 and w = 6 (a = 2 b = c d = 9);
z = 4, y = x = 9 and w = 5 (a = 2 b = c d = 8); z = 5, y = x = 9 and w = 4
(a = 1 b = c d = 6); z = 6, y = x = 9 and w = 3 (a = 2 b = c d = 6);
z = 7, y = x = 9 and w = 2 (a = 4 b = c d = 7); z = 8, y = x = 9 and
w = 1 (a = 3 b = c d = 5).
If b < c, then the 10 needed for z = 10 + a d > 0, can come from 100 + 10(b c)
and the 100 needed for 100 + 10(b c) can come from 100(c b) without changing
the thousands digit which will be 1000(d a). Thus y = 10 + b c 1 and
x = c b 1. In this case the possible values of the pairs (w, z) and (x, y)
are related. For (w, z) the possible pairs are (1, 9), (2, 8), (3, 7), . . . , (8, 2), and
(9, 1). For (x, y) the possible pairs are (0, 8), (1, 7), (2, 6), . . . , (7, 1) and (8, 0).
However, since w = d a and a b < c d, x = c b 1 < c b d a = w.
For a given w, any x < w is OK, but no x w can occur. So M = 3267 can
occur, but M = 1269 cannot.
As in the case that x = y = 9, we can use the above information to construct a
number N where K(N ) = M with M a given number fitting the pattern (with
(x, y) 6= (9, 9)). Start with w 1 and 0 x < w. Next choose a pair d > a

15
UNC Charlotte 2005 Comprehensive

with d a = w and set c = d and b = c x 1. For M = 6264, take (for

example) d = 8, c = 8, b = 5 and a = 2 [or d = 9 c = 9, b = 6, and a = 3]. Then
8852 2588 = 6264[= 9963 3699], as desired.

List of Primes between 1 and 500:

2 3 5 7 11 13 17 19 23 29
31 37 41 43 47 53 59 61 67 71
73 79 83 89 97 101 103 107 109 113
127 131 137 139 149 151 157 163 167 173
179 181 191 193 197 199 211 223 227 229
233 239 241 251 257 263 269 271 277 281
283 293 307 311 313 317 331 337 347 349
353 359 367 373 379 383 389 397 401 409
419 421 431 433 439 443 449 457 461 463
467 479 487 491 499

16
 UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive
March 6, 2006

r q
1. What is the sum of the digits of the integer solution to 14 + 27 x1=
4?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 9 (E) 11

q
Solution: C. Square both sides to get 14 + 27 x 1 = 16, then massage

it, square again, and solve 27 x 1 = 4 to get x 1 = 529. Thus x = 530
and the sum of the digits is 5 + 3 + 0 = 8.

2. In a box there are red and blue balls. If you select a handful of them with
eyes closed, you have to grab at least 5 of them to make sure at least one of
them is red and you have to grab at least 10 of them to make sure both colors
appear among the balls selected. How many balls are there in the box?

(A) 10 (B) 11 (C) 12 (D) 13 (E) 14

Solution: D. If 5 balls are needed to make sure at least one of them is red,
that means that there are 4 blue balls in the box. If you need 10 to make sure
both colors appear then there are 9 balls of the more used color which must
be red. Therefore there are 9 + 4 = 13 balls in the box.

3. Some hikers start on a walk at 9 a.m. and return at 2 p.m. One quarter of
the distance walked is uphill, one half is level, and one quarter is downhill. If
their speed is 4 miles per hour on level land, 2 miles per hour uphill, and 6
miles per hour downhill, approximately how far did they walk?

(A) 16.4 miles (B) 17.1 miles (C) 18.9 miles

(D) 20.0 miles (E) 21.2 miles

Solution: B. Suppose that they walk 4x miles, so that they walk x miles
uphill, x miles downhill, and 2x level miles. This takes a total time of x2 + x6 + 2x
4
hours. Setting this equal to 5 hours, we find x = 30/7 so that the total distance
is 4x = 120/7 17.1 miles.
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

4. Five regular polygons, a triangle, a square, a pentagon, a hexagon, and a

dodecagon (a 12-sided polygon), all have the same perimeter. Which one has
the greatest area?

(A) the triangle (B) the square (C) the pentagon

(D) the hexagon (E) the dodecagon

Solution: E. Suppose we have an n sided regular polygon with sides of length

s. By connecting each vertex to the center of the polygon, we can form n con-
gruent triangles. The central angle for each triangle is 360/n degrees. We can
s2
use trigonometry to determine that the area of each triangle is 4 tan(180/n) . Setting
the perimeter p = ns and adding the areas of the n triangles, we see that the
p2
area of the n sided regular polygon is 4n tan(180/n) . This increases as n increases,
so n = 12 gives the largest area.

5. The radius of the circle given by

x2 6x + y 2 + 4y = 12

is

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 36

Solution: A. Complete the squares by adding 9 and 4 to both sides to get

x2 6x + 9 + y 2 + 4y + 4 = (x 3)2 + (y + 2)2 = 12 + 9 + 4 = 25 = 52 .

So the radius is 5.

2
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

6. What is the length of the interval of solutions to the inequality 1 34x 11?

(A) 1.75 (B) 2.00 (C) 2.25 (D) 2.50 (E) 3.25

Solution: D. Subtract 3 from all parts to get 2 4x 8, then divide all

by 4 to get 1/2 x 2, so the length of the interval is 1/2 (2) = 2.50.
Alternately, solve x2 6x = 0 and y 2 + 4y = 0. Obviously the solutions are
x = 0, 6 and y = 0, 4. From this it follows that the center of the circle is the
point (h, k) where h = (0 + 6)/2 = 3 and k = (0 + (4))/2 = 2. One way to
finish: substitute x = 3 (or y = 2) into the equation x2 6x + y 2 + 4y = 12
and solve for y (or x). Then 0 = y 2 + 4y 21 = (y + 7)(y 3), so (3, 7) and
(3, 3) are on the vertical diameter. Thus the diameter is 10 and the radius is
5. OR: use that standard form for the equation is (x 3)2 + (y + 2)2 = r2 and
from this deduce that r2 = 9 + 4 + 12 = 25.
Alternatively, since the length is given by the difference, the shift of 3 and the
negative sign on the 4 can be ignored. Simply calculate (11 1)/4 = 2.5.

7. Quadrilateral ABCD with the sides AB = 20, BC = 7, CD = 24 and DA = 15

has right angles at A and C. What is the area of ABCD?

(A) 154 (B) 186 (C) 200 (D) 234 (E) 286

Solution: D. The area of the quadrilateral is the sum of the areas of the right
triangles ABD and BCD. This sum is 12 (20)(15) + 21 (7)(24) = 234.

8. Benny eats a box of cereal in 14 days. He eats the same size box of cereal with
his younger brother Nathan in 10 days. How many days will it take Nathan
to finish the box of cereal alone?

(A) 20 (B) 25 (C) 30 (D) 35 (E) 40

Solution: D. Within 10 14 = 140 days Benny will eat 10 boxes of cereal

alone, while together with Nathan they will eat 140 10 = 14 boxes for the
same time period. That means the share of his brother is 14 10 = 4 boxes
for 140 days. Therefore, Nathan eats one box of cereal for 140 : 4 = 35 days.

3
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

9. The base of a regular square pyramid is inscribed in the base of a cylinder.

The height of the cylinder is triple the height of the pyramid. Find the ratio
of the volume of the pyramid to the volume of the cylinder.
2 2 4 4
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
9 3 9 3 9

Solution: A. Let r be the radius of the base of the cylinder, and s be the side
of the square base of the pyramid. Then s2 = r2 + r2 = 2r2 . The volume Vp
of the pyramid is s2 h/3. The volume Vc of the cylinder is r2 (3h). The ratio
is therefore Vp /Vc = 2/9.

10. Given the following system of equations

1 1 1
+ =
x y 3
1 1 1
+ =
x z 5
1 1 1
+ =
y z 7
What is the value of the ratio yz ?

(A) 17 (B) 23 (C) 29 (D) 31 (E) 36

1 1 1
Solution: C. Add the three equations together to get () 2 x
+ y
+ z
=

1
3
+ + = 35+21+15
1
5
1
7 105
71
= 105 . Then subtract the 2 x1 + y1 = 32 from both sides

to get z2 = 105
71 70
105 1
= 105 , so z = 210. Subtracting 2 x1 + z1 = 52 from both
71
sides of () yields y2 = 105 42
105 29
= 105 , so y = 210
29
. It follows that yz = 210
210 = 29.
29

Alternatively, change variables to u = 1/x, v = 1/y and w = 1/z. Then (using

the new forms) subtract the second equation from the first to get v w = 2/15.
Add this to the third to get v = 29/210. Substitute into the third to get
w = 1/210. Thus z/y = v/w = 29.

11. Suppose a, b, c are integers such that

1. 0 < a < b,
2. The polynomial x(x a)(x b) 17 is divisible by (x c).

4
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

What is a + b + c ?

(A) 14 (B) 17 (C) 21 (D) 24 (E) 27

Solution: C. Since it is divisible by (x c), we have

c(c a)(c b) = 17.

Since c(c a)(c b) = 17 > 0, it follows that c > 0 and we have the following
two cases:

Case 1: 0 < (c b) < (c a) < c

Case 2: (c b) < (c a) < 0 < c.

Since 17 is a prime number, case 1 does not occur. In case 2, c = 1, c a =

1, c b = 17. Hence a = 2, b = 18, c = 1. Thus, a + b + c = 21.

12. Let x, y be positive integers with x > y. If 1/(x + y) + 1/(x y) = 1/3, find
x2 + y 2 .

(A) 52 (B) 58 (C) 65 (D) 73 (E) 80

Solution: E. Write u = x+y and v = xy, then u and v are positive integers
and v < u. Now 1/u + 1/v = 1/3 so 3 < v < 6, so v = 5 or v = 4. If v = 5
then u = 7.5 which is not an integer. If v = 4 then u = 12, so we will have
x = 8, y = 4. Therefore, x2 + y 2 = 64 + 16 = 80.

5
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

13. A ball is dropped onto a floor from a height of 1 meter. Each time that the
ball hits the floor it rebounds to half its previous height. (After falling one
meter it rebounds to a height of 1/2 meter. The next time it hits the floor, it
rebounds to a height of 1/4 meter, etc.). How far has the ball traveled when
it hits the floor for the 40th time?

(A) T = 2 + (238 1)/238 (B) T = 1 + (238 1)/239 (C) T = 2

(D) T = 3 (E) T > 3

Solution: A. When it hits the floor the first time, it has traveled 1 meter.
Then it rebounds to a height of 1/2 meter and falls back to the floor to hit
the floor for the second time. This adds 1 more meter distance so it now has
traveled 2 meters. After the second hit, the ball rebounds to a height of (1/4)
meter and the total distance traveled when the ball hits the floor the third time
is 1+2(1/2)+2(1/4) = 1+1+(1/2). The total distance traveled when the ball
39
hits the floor for the 40th time is 1+1+...+(1/2)38 = 1+ 1(1/2)
11/2
= 3(1/2)38 .

14. Let a and b be two positive integers such that b is a multiple of a. If log10 (b/a)b/2 +
q 9a
log10 a/b = 1, then b2 a2 =

(A) 357 (B) 396 (C) 1600 (D) 5967 (E) 8436

Solution: B. The equation could be written as 2b log( ab ) 9a

2
log( ab ) = 1. Since
b = ka, then ka2
log(k) 9a
2
2
log(k) = 1 . So log k = a(k9) and a = (k9)2 log k .
Since a is an integer, the only solution is when k = 10, so a = 2 and b = 20
and b2 a2 = 396.

6
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

15. A triangle with sides a = 15, b = 28 and c = 41 has an altitude of integer

length. What is the length of this altitude?

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 9 (D) 16 (E) 17

Solution: C. With s = (a + b + c)/2 = 42, use Herons formula for the area
q
F = s(s a)(s b)(s c) = 42 27 14 1 = 22 34 72 = 2 32 7.

Since the three heights are ha = 2F/a = 4 9 7/(3 5); hb = 2F/b =

4 9 7/(4 7) = 9; and hc = 2F/c = 4 9 7/41, so only hb = 9 is an in-
teger.
Alternatively, notice that to the triangle with sides 15, 28, and 41, we can
append a triangle with sides 9, 12 and 15 to get a right triangle with sides 9,
40, and 41 as shown in the diagram.
C
...
. ... .
. .
. .
...
...................
............ ..........
41................................. ..
..
...
...
.....
.......
. ..
......... 9
..
.....
........
. ... .
.. 15
....
...
. ...
................. .......
A ........ ... B
28 12
Alternatively, let be the angle measure of the angle opposite the side of
length 41 and let be its supplement. Note that 412 > 282 + 152 , so the angle
is obtuse. Next use the law of cosines to get the cosine of and thus cos(),
cos() = cos() = (282 + 152 412 )/(2 28 15) = 4/5. Thus sin() = 3/5,
and 9 = 15 sin() is the altitude for the side of length 28 (84/5 = 28 sin()
is the altitude for the side of length 15, and 9 28/41 is the altitude for the
side of length 41).

7
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

16. Inside the unit circle D = {(x, y) | x2 + y 2 = 1} there are three

smaller circles
of equal radius a, tangent to each other and to D. If a = p 3 q, find the
sum of the integers p + q.

(A) 4 (B) 5 (C) 7 (D) 10 (E) 12

Solution: B. The centers of the three

smaller circles form an equilateral
triangle with side 2a and height h = 3 a. The center O of this triangle
satisfies OA = OB = OC
= 2h/3 = 2a 3/3. The radius of the unit circle
2 3+3
satisfies 1 = OA + a = 3 a. Hence

3 3(2 3 3) 3(2 3 3)
a= = = = 2 3 3.
2 3+3 (2 3 3)(2 3 + 3) 12 9

We see that p = 2 and q = 3.

..................................
... ............. ... ......
..... .... .....B .. ....
.. ............ .... ...... ............. ....
. ..... .... ... .... ..
.... .... ..... .................. ...... ...... ....
...... A.. O ... .. ..
....... . ........ C ......
........................ .......................
.....
........ .....
............................

17. Let N denote a six-digit integer whose 6 digits are 1,2,3,4,5,6 in random order.
What is the probability that N is divisible by 6?

(A) 1/6 (B) 1/3 (C) 2/5 (D) 1/2 (E) 3/5

Solution: D. Let N denote the number. Since the sum 1+2+3+4+5+6 = 21

of the digits of N is a multiple of 3, N must be a multiple of 3. Exactly half
the numbers formed from the digits 1 through 6 without replacement are even.
A number is a multiple of 6 if it is both even and a multiple of 3. Thus, the
probability that N is a multiple of 6 is 1/2.

8
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

18. Three fair dice are rolled. What is the probability that the product of the three
outcomes is a prime number? Recall that 1 is not considered to be prime.

(A) 0 (B) 1/72 (C) 1/36 (D) 1/24 (E) 1/8

Solution: D. There are 63 = 216 ordered triples of dice rolls. The product is
prime precisely when two rolls are 1 and the third is a prime number. Since
the prime (2,3, or 5) can appear in any of the three positions, there are 9 such
triples, so the probability is 9/216 = 1/24.

19. The odd numbers from 1 to 17 can be used to build a 3 3 magic square (the
rows and columns have the same sum). If the 1, 5, and 13 are as shown, what
is x?

(A) 7 (B) 9 (C) 11 (D) 15 (E) 17

1
5 13
x
Solution: A. The magic sum is 27 because the sum of the first nine odd pos-
itive integers is 92 = 81. This means that we can fill in the 9 and the 17 as
1
shown. 5 9 13
x 17
We can quickly eliminate x = 11 and x = 15. If x = 3, then we would
have to use the 7 in the bottom right square, which would require another 7
in the top right square. Thus x = 7. The complete square is shown below.
15 1 11
5 9 13
7 17 3

20. Let N denote the two-digit number whose cube root is the square root of the
sum of its digits. How many positive divisors does N have?

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

Solution: C. There are just two two-digit cubes, 27 and 64. Checking each
one shows that 27 satisfies the requirements and 64 does not. The number 27
has 4 divisors.

9
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

21. At a picnic there were c children, f adult females, and m adult males, where
2 c < f < m. Every person shook hands with every other person. The sum
of the number of handshakes between children, the number of handshakes
between adult females and the number of handshakes between adult males is
57. How many handshakes were there altogether?

(A) 153 (B) 171 (C) 190 (D) 210 (E) 231

Solution: B. The number of handshakes among children is Tc1 = C2c = 2c =
c!
(c2)!2!
, and similarly for the women and the men. The only way to write 57
as a sum of three different triangular numbers is 6+ 15 + 36, so there must
have been 4 children, 6 women, and 9 men, and 19 2
= 171 handshakes.

22. Two consecutive positive integers n and n + 1, both with exactly four divisors,
have the same sum of divisors. What is the number of divisors of their product?

(A) 6 (B) 12 (C) 16 (D) 20 (E) 24

Solution: C. To say the numbers have exactly four divisors means that they
are each a product of two distinct prime numbers, say pq and rs. To say the
sum of their divisors is the same means 1 + p + q + pq = 1 + r + s + rs, and
to say they are consecutive means pq + 1 = rs. Putting the two equations
together gives p + q = 1 + r + s, which can happen only when one of the primes
is even (hence 2). A little trial and error produces some primes that work:
p = 2, q = 7, r = 3, and s = 5. So the two numbers could be 14 and 15, both
with sum of factors equal to 24. The number of factors of 14 15 = 2 3 5 7
is 24 = 16.
Actually, we really only need to know that the conditions say that the four
primes p, q, r, s are distinct. Suppose a factor in the first number is the same
1
as a factor in the second number, say p = r. Then rspq = 1 r = sq which
will not give a prime number (the only positive integer solution is r = 1). This
means that the product of the two numbers is pqrs with each prime distinct.
The number of divisors is always 16.

10
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

23. Suppose a, b, c, and d are positive integers satisfying

ab + cd = 38

ac + bd = 34
ad + bc = 43
What is a + b + c + d?

(A) 15 (B) 16 (C) 17 (D) 18 (E) 20

Solution: D. Add the 2nd and 3rd equations together and factor to get

ac + ad + bc + bd = a(c + d) + b(c + d)
= (a + b)(c + d)
= 77 = 7 11

It follows that {a + b, c + d} = {7, 11} and a + b + c + d = 18. The equations

are satisfied if a = 7, b = 4, c = 2 and d = 5.

24. Let a0 = 2 and a1 = 3 and let an+2 = |an | an+1 for all n 0. What is the
smallest n such that an 100?

(A) 10 (B) 11 (C) 13 (D) 15 (E) 17

Solution: E. Computing the first few terms, we see that the odd terms are
positive, the even terms are negative, and the odd terms satisfy a Fibonacci-
type relation a2n+3 = a2n+1 + a2n1 for all n 1. Computing successive
values, we get a3 = 4, a5 = 7, a7 = 11, a9 = 18, a11 = 29, a13 = 47, a15 = 76,
and finally, a17 = 123.

11
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

25. Let S(n) = n in case n is a single digit integer. If n 10 is an integer, S(n)

is the sum of the digits of n. Let N denote the smallest positive integer such
that N + S(N ) + S(S(N )) = 99. What is S(N )?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 12 (D) 15 (E) 18

Solution: D. If n < 75 then S(n) S(69) = 15 and S(S(n)) 9, so

n + S(n) + S(S(n)) < 99. On the other hand, 75 + S(75) + S(S(75)) = 90,
76 + S(76) + S(S(76)) = 93, 77 + S(77) + S(S(77)) = 96, and 78 + S(78) +
S(S(78)) = 99. So 78 is the least integer with the property and S(78) = 15.
Alternatively, let T (N ) = N + S(N ) + S(S(N )). Since neither S(N ) nor
S(S(N )) can be zero, we must have N 97. Thus S(N ) 17 (using N = 89)
and S(S(N )) 9. This gives a crude lower bound for N of 99 (17 + 9) = 73.
If S(N + 1) has the same number of digits as S(N ), then T (N + 1) = T (N ) + 3
since S(N + 1) will be one more than S(N ) and S(S(N + 1)) will be one
more than S(N ). Moreover, as long as S(N + k) continues to have the same
number of digits as S(N ), we have T (N + k) = T (N ) + 3k. The first integer
M greater than 73 such that S(M ) has only one digit is M = 80. Thus the
formula will work from 73 up to 79, so for 1 k 6. We have T (73) =
73 + S(73) + S(S(73)) = 73 + 10 + 1 = 84, and 99 84 = 15 = 3 5. Thus
99 = T (73) + 3 5 = T (78). Therefore N = 78 is the smallest integer with
T (N ) = 99.

26. Find the number of odd divisors of 7!.

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 24

Solution: D. The prime factorization of 7! is 24 32 5 7. Each odd factor of

7! is a product of odd prime factors, and there are 3 2 2 = 12 ways to choose
the three exponents.

12
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

27. John was contracted to work A days. For each of these A days that John actu-
ally worked, he received B dollars. For each of these A days that John didnt
work, he had to pay a penalty of C dollars. After the A days of contracted
work was over, John received a net amount of D dollars for his work. How
many of the A days of contracted work did John not work?

(A) (AB D)/(B + C) (B) (AB + D)/(B + C) (C) (AB D)/(B C)

(D) (AB + D)/(B C) (E) (AC B)/(D C)

Solution: A. Let x denote the number of days John did not work. Then he
worked A x days and so earned B(A x) Cx = D dollars. Solving this for
x, we get (B + C)x = D AB and so x = (AB D)/(B + C). Taken from
Horatio Nelson Robinsons 1859 book A Theoretical and Practical Treatise
on Algebra, with thanks to Dave Renfro.

28. Let be a plane containing three points A(1, 0, 0), B(0, 2, 0), C(0, 0, 1). Find
the distance from the origin (0, 0, 0) to the plane .

(A) 1/3 (B) 2/3 (C) 1 (D) /3 (E) 2/3

Solution: B. Note that the volume of the tetrahedron OABC is = 31 ( 12 2) =

1/3. Since ABq= 5 = BC and AC = 2, the area of the triangle CAB is

= (1/2) 2 ( 5)2 ( 2/2)2 = 3/2. If the distance from O to is h, then
the volume can be written as (1/3)(h)(3/2). Thus, the volume (1/3)(h)(3/2)
should be 1/3. Hence h = 2/3.
Alternatively, an equation of the plane containing A, B, and C is 2x+y +2z =
2. Therefore the square of the distance from the origin to the point (x, y, z)
on the plane is d2 = x2 + y 2 + z 2 = x2 + (2 2x 2z)2 + z 2 . By symmetry, the
point on the plane that is closest to the origin must satisfy x = z. Then d2 =
16
18x2 16x + 4. The x-coordinate of the vertex of this parabola is x = 36 = 94 .
It will minimize d2 and we get d2 = 18( 49 )2 16( 49 ) + 4 = 49 , so that d = 23 .

13
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

29. Let N denote the 180-digit number obtained by listing the 90 two-digit num-
bers from 10 to 99 in order. Thus N = 10111213 . . . 99. What is the remainder
when N is divided by 99?

(A) 0 (B) 10 (C) 45 (D) 54 (E) 90

Solution: D. Let U denote the sum of the 90 units digits and T the sum
of the 90 tens digits. Thus U = 0 + 1 + 2 + + 9 + + 9 = 405 and
T = 1 + 1 + + 1 + 2 + 2 + + 9 + 9 + + 9 = 450 = U + 45. Since
99 = 911, we ask the two questions What is the remainder when N is divided
by 11 and What is the remainder when N is divided by 9. The divisibility
test for 11 tells us that the remainder when a number N is divided by 11 is the
same as when the alternating sum of the digits of N is divided by 11. That
alternating sum is U T = 45, and the remainder when 45 = 5(11) + 10
is divided by 11 is 10. The remainder when N is divided by 9 is the same
as the remainder when the sum of digits of N is divided by 9. This sum of
digits is U + T = 9 45 + 9 50 = 9 95 which is a multiple of 9. So far we
know that there are integers p and q such that N = 9p (N is a multiple of
9) and N = 11q + 10 (when N is divided by 11, the remainder is 10). Let r
be the remainder when N is divided by 99. Then there is an integer k such
that N = 99k + r. Now N/9 = 11k + r/9 = p shows r is a multiple of 9.
Furthermore N/11 = 9k + r/11 = q + 10/11 shows r = 11(q 9k) + 10 shows
r is 10 more than a multiple of 11. The only number in the range 0 to 98 that
is both a multiple of 9 and 10 bigger than a multiple of 11 is 54.
Alternatively, consider a base 100 expansion of a positive integer A with an
even number of digits base 10, say 2n digits A = an 100n +an1 100n1 + +
a1 100 + a0 . Since 100 = 9 11 + 1 = 99 + 1, the remainder on dividing A by 99
is the same as the remainder on dividing the sum an +an1 + +a1 +a0 by 99.
For the given integer, the corresponding sum is 10 + 11 + + 99 = (109 90)/2
(90 terms in an arithmetic sequence where the sum of the first and last terms
is 109 = 10 + 99). Now simply divide by 99 to get the remainder of 54 for
both the sum and the given integer 101112 . . . 99.

14
UNC Charlotte 2006 Comprehensive

30. What is the length of the shortest path AP QB in the plane, where A = (2, 3),
B = (5, 1), P lies on the y-axis, and Q lies on the x-axis.

(A) 7 (B) 8 (C) 65 (D) 5 3 (E) 9

..
..
...
.. .......... A
........
P ................
.........
......... B
......... .....
......... .
...
......... .....
...... ..
Q

Solution: C. The solution uses the reflection principle. Let A0 = (2, 3) and
B 0 = (5, 1) represent the reflections of A and B across the y-axis and x-axis,
respectively. The sum A0 P + P Q + QB 0 is the same as the sum AP + P Q + QB
for any points P on the y-axis and Q on the x-axis. But the shortest path
from (2, 3) to (5, 1) is a straight linethat hits both the y and x axes. The
distance between (2, 3) and (5, 1) is 65, so this is the length of the short-
est path.
...
A0............. ..... A
........ .
...
...........
........ .........
..........
P ...............
........ B
........
........ ...
..........
........ ............
.......... ...
Q ...............
........
.
B0

15
 UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest
March 5, 2007
1. Maya deposited 1000 dollars at 6% interest compounded annually. What is
the number of dollars in the account after four years?
(A) $1258.47 (B) $1260.18 (C) $1262.48
(D) $1263.76 (E) $1264.87
Solution: C. The amount in the account is given by A = P (1 + r/n)nt , where
P is the principal, r is the annual rate, n is the number of times per year that
interest is compounded, and t is the time in years. Therefore, the amount in
the account after four years is 1000(1 + .06/1)4 1262.48.
2. What is the area (in square units) of the region of the first quadrant defined
by 18 x + y 20?
(A) 36 (B) 38 (C) 40 (D) 42 (E) 44
Solution: B. In the first quadrant, the inequalities x + y 20 and x + y 18
define similar right triangles with areas 202 /2 and 182 /2. The area of the
region in question is therefore (202 182 ) 2 = 38 square units.
Alternatively, we canalso find the
area as the area of a trapezoid. The parallel
sides have lengths
20 2
and 18 2 and the height of the trapezoid is 2. Thus
the area is (38 2/2) 2 = 38.
3. How many four-digit numbers between 6000 and 7000 are there for which the
thousands digits equal the sum of the other three digits?
(A) 20 (B) 22 (C) 24 (D) 26 (E) 28
Solution: E. The question is equivalent to how many three digit numbers
abc (0 allowed as the hundreds digit) satisfy a + b + c = 6. When a = 6, there
is only one way to do this: b = c = 0. When a = 5, there are two ways: either
b = 1 and c = 0 or c = 1 and b = 0. When a = 4, there are three ways:
(b, c) = (0, 2), (1, 1), or (2, 0). Continuing in this way, we find that there are
1 + 2 + 3 + . . . + 7 = 28 ways to build the number.
Alternatively, there are three ways to choose three different digits that sum to
6: 1 + 2 + 3, 0 + 2 + 4 and 0 + 1 + 5. Since the order counts, this gives 18 ways.
There are three ways to choose two digits the same and a different third digit:
1 + 1 + 4, 0 + 3 + 3 and 0 + 0 + 6. Since two of the digits are the same, there
are 9 ways of ordering these. Finally, there is one sum, 2 + 2 + 2, where all
three digits are the same. So the total number of ways is 18 + 9 + 1 = 28.
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

4. How many positive two-digit integers have an odd number of positive divisors?

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: D. Since each divisor d of a number D can be paired with a divisor

D/d, only the perfect squares can have an odd number of divisors. There are
6 perfect squares between 10 and 99.

5. If x is positive, what is the least value of x + x9 ?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 6

Solution: E. Note: x+ x9 = x1 (x2 +9) = x1 (x2 6x+9)+6 = x1 (x3)2 +6 6.

6. The area of an annular region bounded by two concentric circles is 5 square

centimeters. The difference between the radii of the circles is one centimeter.
What is the radius of the smaller circle, in centimeters?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 6

Solution: B. If r is the radius of the smaller circle, the area of the annular
region is (r + 1)2 r2 = (2r + 1). The solution of the equation 2r + 1 = 5
is r = 2.
Alternatively, let s be the radius of the larger circle Then 5 = s2 r2 =
(s r)(s + r). Since s r = 1, s + r = 5. So s = 3 and r = 2.

7. If we divide 344 by d the remainder is 3, and if we divide 715 by d the remainder

is 2. Which of the following is true about d?

(A) 10 d 19 (B) 20 d 29 (C) 30 d 39

(D) 40 d 49 (E) 50 d 59

Solution: C. The number d divides 341 = 11 31 and 713 = 23 31. The only
common divisors are 1 and 31. Since we get nonzero remainders, d = 31.

2
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

8. The sum a + b, the product a b and the difference of squares a2 b2 of two

positive numbers a and b is the same nonzero number. What is b?

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

Solution: B. Since a + b = a2 b2 = (a + b) (a b), dividing both sides by

a + b 6= 0 yields 1 = a b, so a = b + 1. Substituting this into a + b = a b we
get 2b + 1 = (b + 1) b. The only positive solution of this quadratic equation is

1+ 5
b= .
2

9. An athlete covers three consecutive miles by swimming the first, running the
second and cycling the third. He runs twice as fast as he swims and cycles
one and a half times as fast as he runs. He takes ten minutes longer than he
would do if he cycled the whole three miles. How many minutes does he take?

(A) 16 (B) 22 (C) 30 (D) 46 (E) 70

Solution: B. Let S denote the time in hours required to swim a mile. Then
the time required to run a mile is S2 , and the time needed to cycle a mile is S3 .
It follows that S + 12 S + 13 S 16 = 3( 31 S), so S = 15 , and S + 12 S + 13 S = 11
6 5
1 11
= 30
hours, which is 22 minutes.
Alternatively, let s be the swimming speed, r the running speed and c the
cycling speed in miles per minute. Then his total time for the three miles is
t = (1/s) + (1/r) + (1/c) = 10 + (3/c). Also, r = 2s and c = 1.5r. So c = 3s,
1/s = 3/c and 1/r = 3/2c. Subbing in yields 5/2c = 10 and 1/c = 4. So the
total time is 10 + 3(4) = 22 minutes.

3
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

10. What is the fewest crickets that must hop to new locations so that each row
and each column has three crickets? Crickets can jump from any square to
any other square.

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Solution: C. Notice that two rows have four crickets, so at least two crickets
must move. The pair of crickets at (1, 5) and (2, 4) on the main diagonal can
be moved to (5, 3) and (5, 1) as shown.

4
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

11. A quadrilateral ABCD has vertices with coordinates A (0, 0), B (6, 0), C (5, 4), D (3, 6).
What is its area?

(A) 18 (B) 19 (C) 20 (D) 21 (E) 22

Solution: D. The point E = (2, 4) lies on AD. The line segment 6+3 from (2, 4) to
(5, 4) divides the quadrilateral into a trapezoid with area 2 4 and a trian-
gle with area 21 (3)(2). The total area is 21.
... D
......
.. . ........
....C
E... ..
...
..
.. ...
.. . ...
.. ...
. ...

A B

12. There are six ways to insert two multiplication signs in the string 33223 keeping
the digits in the same order. For example, 33 22 3 = 2178. If one puts these
numbers in order from least to largest, in which place does 2007 occur?

(A) 1st (B) 2nd (C) 3rd (D) 4th (E) 5th

Solution: C. There are just six such numbers. The six possible choices are
3 3 223 = 2007, 3 32 23 = 2208, 3 322 3 = 2898, 33 2 23 = 1518,
33 22 3 = 2178, and 332 2 3 = 1992. So the number 2007 is third in the
list.

5
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

13. Given are two parallel lines of distance 1 apart and a circle of radius 2. The
circle is tangent to one of the lines and cuts the other
line. The area of the

circular cap between the two parallel lines is a 3 b 3. Find the sum a + b of
the two integers a and b.

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: C. The cap is a segment minus a triangle. The central angle of the
segment is 120 . The circular segment covers one third of the circle and hence
has area 4 . Hence a = 4. The triangle is isosceles with height 1 and two
3
congruent
sides of length 2. Its third side has length 2 3 and hence its area
is 3. Hence b = 1 and a + b = 5.

...................................
.. ....... .....
.. .. ...
...
.. ...
.. . ...
... ..
. .. ...
... ............... ............... ...

........... ..........
.. .

.....
. ....
.......

................................

6
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

14. Exactly one four digit number N satisfies 9 N = N where N is obtained from
N by reversing the digits. What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 15 (B) 16 (C) 17 (D) 18 (E) 20

Solution: D. Symbolically, 9abcd = dcba. In other words, 9 (1000a + 100b + 10c + d) =

1000d + 100c + 10b + a. Thus 9000a + 900b + 90c + 9d = 1000d + 100c + 10b + a
and 8999a + 890b = 10c + 991d, so we must have a = 1 so d = 9. Then
900b + 90c + 81 = 100c + 10b + 1, so 890b + 80 = 10c. Dividing by 10 yields
89b + 8 = c from which it follows that so b = 0 and c = 8. So the sum of the
digits is 1 + 0 + 8 + 9 = 18.
Alternatively, if the number is N = abcd, then a must be 1, d must be 9 and
b is at most 1 since 9 1200 > 10, 000. Since 9 9 = 81, b = 0 implies the units
digit of 9 c is 2 so c = 8, and b = 1 implies the units digit of 9 c is 3 so c = 7.
Since 9 1179 is a five digit number, N = 1089. So the sum of the digits is 18
(the same as the sum for 1179).
Yet another alternative is to notice that the sum of the digits of N is the
same as that of N and that since N is a multiple of 9, the sum of the digits
S(N ) = S(N ) must be a multiple of 9 as well. But 18 is the only multiple of
9 among the options.

15. A triangular grid of 11 points is given. How many triangles have all three
vertices among the 11 points?

(A) 140 (B) 141 (C) 142 (D) 150 (E) 165

11
Solution:
5 5 4B. There are 3
= 165 three elements subsets of the grid, but
3
+ 3
+ 3
= 10 + 10 + 4 = 24 of these are colinear sets. Therefore there
are 165 24 = 141 sets of vertices.

7
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

16. Let f (x) = x1 and let f (n) (x) denote the n-fold composition of f with itself.
x+1
That is, f 1 (x) = f (x) and f (n) (x) = f f (n1) (x) . Which of the following is
f (2007) (x)?
1 x+1 1 1x x1
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
x x1 x 1+x x+1

Solution: B. Computing f (2) (x) , f (3) (x) , f (4) (x) and f (5) (x), we see that
f (2) (x) = x1 , f (3) (x) = x+1
x1
, f (4) (x) = x and f (5) (x) = f (x). Since the
remainder r when 2007 is divided by 4 is 3 (2007 = 4 501 + 3), it follows
x+1
f (2007) (x) = f (3) (x) = x1 .

17. A point (x, y) is selected at random from the rectangular region shown. What
is the probability that x < y?

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

...

...

Solution: B. Exactly 1/4 of the rectangular region lies above the line y = x.

8
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

18. The number 240,240 can be expressed as a product of k consecutive integers.

A possible value of k is

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

Solution: B. Factoring the number yields 7, 11, and 13 as factors. Since

these are all prime, either they or one of their multiples must be among the k
integers. Trying 13 itself, we write 10 11 12 13 14 = 240,240.
To see that no other value besides k = 5 works, trying 26, the closest multiples
of 11 are 22 and 33, but any product of consecutive integers including both
22 and 26 is too large, as is any such product containing both 26 and 33. The
same reasoning holds for 39 and 52 (55 is the closest multiple of 11 and 53 is
prime).
Alternatively, slowly factor 240,240 into smaller numbers 240, 240 = 10
24, 024 = 10 12 2002 = 10 12 2 1001 = 10 12 2 11 91 = 10 12 2 11 7 13.
Simply multiply the 2 and 7 together and reorder to have 240, 240 =
10 11 12 13 14. So k = 5 works.

19. Let A be the area of a triangle with sides 5, 5, and 8, and let B denote the
area of a triangle with sides 5, 5, and 6. Which of the following is true.

(A) A < B < 12 (B) B < A < 12 (C) A = B

(D) 12 < A < B (E) 12 < B < A

Solution: C. Each triangle has area 12. To see this, construct for each trian-
gle the altitude to the even length side and use the Pythagorean Theorem.

......
.... .... .......
........ ............ ...
. ....
.
5....... .
3 ............ 5...... ....
...
........ ....... .
... 4 ....
....
..... .. ... .
4 3

9
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

20. Suppose a, b and c are real numbers for which

a a
> 1 and < 1.
b c
Which of the following must be correct?

(A) a + b c > 0 (B) a > b (C) (a c)(b c) > 0

(D) a b + c > 0 (E) abc > 0

Solution: C. The first inequality guarantees that a and b have the same sign,
and the second that a and c do not. It follows that in either case, a c and
b c have the same sign. Let a = 2, b = 1, and c = 1 to see that (A) and
(B) fail. Let a = 2, b = 1, and c = 1 to see that (D) and (E) fail.
A lovely alternative is to note that the given inequalities are left unchanged by
the replacement of a, b and c for a, b, and c, so the correct option must
also be left unchanged. Only option C has that property.

21. A right triangle ABC is given. Semicircles are constructed with the sides of
the triangle as diameters, as shown below. Suppose the area of the largest
semicircle is 36 and the area of the smallest one is 16. What is the area of the
other one?

(A) 20 (B) 24 (C) 25 (D) 26 (E) 30

... ........
...... ..............
B ......... .....
.. .
................ ...
.. ....... ...
.... ....... ...
.... ....... ..
... ....... .
..... ....... . .
.......... ....... ..
... ....
.
C ..
... . ..A
..... .
.......... ..............
........
Solution: A. Let a, b and c denote the lengths of the three sides, a = BC, b =
AC, and c = AB. Now a2 + b2 = c2 since the triangle is right. The areas of
the three semicircles are (1/2)(a/2)2 , (1/2)(b/2)2 , (1/2)(c/2)2 . Therefore,
we have (1/2)(a/2)2 + (1/2)(b/2)2 = (a2 + b2 )/8 = (/8)c2 , so the sum of
the areas of the two smaller semicircles is the area of the largest one. Thus
the area of the middle one is 36 16 = 20.

10
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

22. A standard deck of 52 cards contains 13 hearts. Twenty six cards have already
been dealt, eight of which are hearts. If you are dealt 13 of the remaining
cards, what is the probability that you will get exactly 2 of the remaining 5
hearts? (Round your answer.)

(A) 22% (B) 26% (C) 30% (D) 34% (E) 38%

Solution: D. There are a = 26 13
ways to pick 13 of the 26 remainingcards.

Since there are 5 hearts and 21 non-heart cards remaining, there are b = 52 21
11
ways to choose exactly 2 hearts. The probability b/a is 3527160/10400600
0.34.

23. Find the value of the expression

S = 1! 3 2! 4 + 3! 5 4! 6 + . . . 2006! 2008 + 2007!

(A) 2007 (B) 1 (C) 0 (D) 1 (E) 2007

Solution: D. Let us simplify S from the right end: 2006! 2008 + 2007! =
2006!(2008 + 2007) = 2006!. Thus, S = 1! 3 2! 4 + 3! 5 4! 6 + . . . +
2005! 2007 2006!. Next, 2005! 2007 2006! = 2005!(2007 2006) = 2005!
Therefore, S = 1! 3 2! 4 + 3! 5 4! 6 + . . . 2004! 2006 + 2005! Continuing
simplification of S we finally obtain that S = 1! = 1.
Alternatively, for each n, n! (n + 2) can be rewritten as n! (n + 2) = n! +
n!(n + 1) = n! + (n + 1)!. Do this from the beginning to get S = (1! + 2!)
(2! + 3!) + (3! + 4!) + (2005! + 2006!) (2006! + 2007!) + 2007! = 1! = 1.

11
UNC Charlotte 2007 Comprehensive Contest

24. You bought a big cake for a party and expect 10 or 11 people to come. What
is the minimal number of pieces (perhaps of different sizes) you need to divide
the cake evenly if exactly 10 guests attend and also evenly among 11 guests?

(A) 11 (B) 20 (C) 30 (D) 55 (E) 110

Solution: B. In order to accommodate 11 guests, no single slice of cake can

be larger that 1/11 of the cake. Therefore, if ten guests arrive, each guest must
get at least two slices of cake. Consequently, we must divide the cake into at
least 20 slices. Let us show that this number suffices. Divide the cake into 11
equal pieces. Then divide one of these into 10 equal pieces. (Each of these is
1/110 of the cake.) We now have a total of 20 pieces. If 10 guests are coming
everybody gets one big and one small piece, so that 1/11 + 1/110 = 1/10. If
11 guests arrive, then 10 of them get 1/11 each and the last one receives the
1/11 that was divided into 10 pieces.

12
 UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive
March 3, 2008

1. Suppose a and b are digits satisfying 1 < a < b < 8. Also, the sum 1111 +
111a + 111b + of the smallest eight four-digit numbers that use only the
digits {1, a, b, 8} is 8994. What is a + b?

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

Solution: C. The eight smallest numbers are 1111, 111a, 111b, 1118, 11a1, 11aa, 11ab
and 11a8. Their sum is 8858 + 42a + 2b = 8994, so 42a + 2b = 136 from which
it follows that 21a + b = 68. From this we can reason that a must be 3, and
that b must be 5, so a + b = 8.

2. On a die, 1 and 6, 2 and 5, 3 and 4 appear on opposite faces. When 2 dice are
thrown, multiply the numbers appearing on the top and bottom faces of the
dice as follows:

(a) number on top face of 1st die number on top face of 2nd die
(b) number on top face of 1st die number on bottom face of 2nd die
(c) number on bottom face of 1st die number on top face of 2nd die
(d) number on bottom face of 1st die number on bottom face of 2nd die.

What can be said about the sum S of these 4 products?

(A) The value of S depends on luck and its expected value is 48

(B) The value of S depends on luck and its expected value is 49
(C) The value of S depends on luck and its expected value is 50
(D) The value of S is 49
(E) The value of S is 50

Solution: D. Suppose U and B are the up and bottom on the first die and
u and b for the second. Then the sum S equals U u + U b + Bu + Bb =
(U + B)(u + b) = 7 7 = 49.
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

3. Let N be the largest 7-digit number that can be constructed using each of the
digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 such that the sum of each two consecutive digits is
a prime number. What is the reminder when N is divided by 7?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Solution: E. The number is N = 7652341, which is constructed from left to

right. The reminder is 4.

4. For how many n in {1, 2, 3, . . . , 100} is the tens digit of n2 odd?

(A) 16 (B) 17 (C) 18 (D) 19 (E) 20

Solution: E. There are 2 in each decile, 10a + 4 and 10a + 6. The tens digit
of (10a + 4)2 = 100a2 + 80a + 16 is the units digit of 8a + 1, while the tens
digit of (10a + 6)2 = 100a2 + 120a + 36 is the units digit of 2a + 3, both of
which are odd for any integer a. All the other tens digits of perfect squares
are even: (10a + b)2 = 100a2 + 20a + b2 , the tens digit of which is the tens
digit of 2a + b2 , which is even if the tens digit of b2 is even. But the tens digit
of b2 is even if b 6= 4, b 6= 6.

5. How many pairs of positive integers (a, b) with a + b 100 satisfy

a + b1
= 13?
a1 + b

(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 7

Solution: E. Multiplying the given equality a + b1 = 13(b + a1 ) by ab we

obtain: a(ab + 1) = 13b(ab + 1), or (a 13b)(ab + 1) = 0. Since ab + 1 > 0, the
given equation is equivalent to a = 13b. The inequality a+b 100 means that
14b 100; therefore, the possible values of the positive integer b are 1, 2, . . . , 7,
and there are 7 solutions: (13, 1), (26, 2), . . . , (91, 7).

2
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

6. The numbers 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 are arranged in a multiplication table, with three

along the top and the other three down the column. The multiplication table
is completed and the sum of the nine entries is tabulated. What is the largest
possible sum obtainable.

(A) 902 (B) 940 (C) 950 (D) 980 (E) 986
a b c
d
e
f
Solution: D. The sum is (a + b + c) (d + e + f ) which is as large as possible
when the two factors a + b + c and c + d + e are as close together as possible
(given that the sum is constant(63)). We must pair the 1 and the 2 with 32
to get 35 28 = 980.

7. An unlimited supply of struts of lengths 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are available from

which to build (nondegenerate) triangles. How many noncongruent triangles
can be built?

(A) 21 (B) 25 (C) 28 (D) 30 (E) 32

Solution: If we think of each triangle we can build as a three digit num-

ber where the digits are nondecreasing as we move from left to right. They
are 333, 334, 335, 344, 345, 346, . . .. Every such number built from the digits
3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 corresponds to a triangle in this way except 336, 337, and 347.
There are 35 3 = 32 of these numbers.

8. Five points lie on a line. When the 10 distances between each pair of them
are computed and listed from smallest to largest we obtain

2, 4, 5, 7, 8, k, 13, 15, 17, 19.

What is k?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13

Solution: Without loss of generality, the left-most coordinate is 0. In that

case, the only possible coordinate sets are {0, 2, 7, 15, 19} and {0, 4, 12, 17, 19}
and the missing distance is k = 12.

3
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

9. Once a strange notebook was found. It contained exactly the following 100
statements:
This notebook has exactly one false statement.
This notebook has exactly two false statements.
This notebook has exactly three false statements.
..
.
This notebook has exactly 100 false statements. How many true statements
are there in the notebook?

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 50 (D) 99 (E) 100

Solution: B. Any two statements in the notebook contradict to each other.

That means that there can be not more than one true statements. If there is
one true statement, then the other 99 are false. Such a statement exists in the
notebook: This notebook has exactly 99 false statements.

10. Color the surfaces of a cube of dimension 5 5 5 red, and then cut the cube
into unit cubes. Remove all the unit cubes with no red faces. Use the remaining
cubes to build a cuboid (a rectangular brick), keeping the entire surface of the
cuboid red. What is the maximum possible volume of the cuboid?

(A) 64 (B) 70 (C) 80 (D) 92 (E) 96

Solution: E. We have 53 33 = 98 unit cubes with some red faces. Among

these there are 8 corner cubes with three painted faces, and of course, these
must be used as the corners of the brick. There are 12 3 = 36 unit cubes
with two adjacent red faces, and there are 6 9 = 54 unit cubes with one red
face. The maximum volume is therefore no more than 8 + 36 + 54 = 98. The
only brick we could hope to build with volume 98 is a 7 7 2, but this
would require 40 unit cubes with two adjacent red faces. Of course a brick
with volume 97 is hopeless. How about 96? Could it be a 6 4 4 brick?
How many edge cubes are needed? Answer: 2 2 4 + 4 4 = 32. Thus we
have 4 two-faced cubes left that we can use with the 54 one red face cubes.
This is enough to fill out the rest of the brick.

4
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

11. Construct a rectangle by putting together nine squares with sides equal to 1,
4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 18. What is the sum of the areas of the squares on
the 4 corners of the resulting rectangle.

(A) 626 (B) 746 (C) 778 (D) 810 (E) 826

Solution: E. Factor the sum of the squares to get 12 + 42 + 72 + + 182 =

1056 = 25 3 11. Notice that the only pair of dimensions that will accom-
modate the 18 18 square together with both the 14 14 and the 15 15
squares is 32 33. The four corners are unique. The only way to make room
for the three largest squares is to put them in corners with the 14 14 square
and the 15 15 square next to the 18 18 square. See the figure below. The
only two squares that could fill the 3 15 gap left above the 15 15 square
are the 7 7 and the 8 8 squares. Then the 1 1 must go in the tiny hole
left. Finally the 10 10 and the 9 9 squares can be placed. So the sum of
the areas of the four corner squares is 826.

5
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

10 9
14

4 8
7

18
15

12. A number N is divisible by 90, 98 and 882 but it is NOT divisible by 50, 270,
686 and 1764. It is known that N is a factor of 9261000. What is N ?

(A) 4410 (B) 8820 (C) 22050 (D) 44100 (E) 88200

Solution: A. Factor each of the numbers into primes: 90 = 2 32 5; 98 = 2 72

and 882 = 2 32 72 . So N = k 2 32 5 72 and the non-divisibility conditions

6
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

imply the none of 2, 3, 5, and 7 are divisors of k. Since 9261000 = 23 33 53 73 ,

it follows that k = 1 works and N = 4410.

13. On a rectangular table P QRS of 5 units long and 3 units wide, a ball is rolled
from point P at an angle of 45 toward the point E, and bounces off SR at
an angle of 45 as shown below. The ball continues to bounce off the sides at
45 until it reaches R. How many times has the ball bounced?

(A) 4 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 7 (E) 9

S ....
..... R
.....
...
...... E F
....
....
....
P Q
Solution: C. Think of the 3 5 box as part of a grid of such boxes in the
plane. The line from (0, 0) to (15, 15) hits the boundaries of these boxes 6
times, and each one of these corresponds to a bounce. You can see that the
ball will hit the pocket R after the six bounces.

..
.......
..
..
.....
..
.
. ...
.
.
....
....
..
.....
..
......
...
......
..
S R
.......
....
...
......
..
..
.....
..
P.. Q

7
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

14. Triangle ABC below is equilateral and the length of each side is x. Angle
BCD is a right angle and angle DAC is 100 degrees. The side DC has length
10. Find x. Round your answer to 2 decimal places.

B
.. ....
. .....
...
x ...............
.
...... .
... ........... x
..
A.
. .................
.. 100 ..........
...... ..x
........
.... ........
........
.... .....
..
D 10 C

(A) 7.16 (B) 7.32 (C) 7.51 (D) 7.78 (E) 7.95

Solution: D. Because triangle ABC is equilateral, angle ACB is 60 degrees.

Because angle BCD is 90 degrees, angle ACD is 30 degrees. Therefore angle
x 10
ADC is 50 degrees. Using the law of sines, sin(50) = sin(100) . Consequently,
x 7.78.

8
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

15. Joe lives near a river where he goes swimming every day: he swims 1 mile
upstream, 1 mile downstream, and exits the river the same place as he entered
it. Recently Joe went on a vacation to a lake, where he noticed that during
workouts lasting the same time, swimming at the same constant speed, he is
able to swim 2.2 miles each day. How much faster is his Joes swimming than
the speed of the river? Round your answer to two decimal digits.

(A) 2.5 times (B) 3.32 times (C) 3.5 times

(D) 4.1 real times (E) 11 times
Solution: B. Denote Joes speed by v1 , the rivers speed by v2 . Swimming 1
mile upstream and 1 mile downstream takes 1/(v1 v2 ) + 1/(v1 + v2 ) units of
time, swimming 2.2 miles in a lake takes 2.2/v1 units of time. The solution of
the equation
1 1 2.2
+ =
v1 v2 v1 + v2 v1
is
v1
= 11 3.32.
v2

16. A particle P moves from the points A = (0, 4) to the points B = (10, 4).
The particle P can travel the upper half place {(x, y) | y 0} at the speed of
1 and travel the lower half plane {(x, y) | y 0} at the speed of 2. Find the
point C = (c, 0) on the x-axis which would minimize the squared sum of the
travel times of the upper and lower half plane.

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

Solution: B. The squared sum of travel times is
q
c2 + 16 2 (10 c)2 + 16 2 5 2 5
( ) +( ) = c 5c + 45 = (c2 4c + 36)
1 2 4 4
Therefore the squared sum of travel times is minimized when c = 2.

17. During recess, one of five pupils wrote something nasty on the chalkboard.
When questioned by the class teacher, the following ensured:

A : It was B or C.

9
UNC Charlotte 2008 Comprehensive

B : Neither E nor I did it.

C : You are both lying.
D : No, either A or B is telling the truth.
E : No, D, that is not true.

The class teacher knows that three of them never lie while the other two cannot
be trusted. Who was the culprit?

(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D (E) E

Solution: C. If Ds statement is false, then both A and B are also lying, which
would mean that we have three liars, and that is impossible. So Ds statement
is true and therefore Es statement is false. Since Cs statement is also false, it
must be that A, B and D are honest. But A says it was B or C and B denies
it, so only C is left.

18. Find the maximum possible value of (xv yu)2 over the region

x2 + y 2 = 4, u2 + v 2 = 9

(A) 26 (B) 30 (C) 35 (D) 36 (E) 40

Solution: D.

(xv yu)2 = x2 v 2 2xvyu + y 2 u2

= (x2 + y 2 )(u2 + v 2 ) x2 u2 2xyuv y 2 v 2
= 36 (xu + yv)2
36

The maximum occurs when (u, v) = 32 (y, x).

10
 UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive
March 9, 2009

1. Danica was driving in a 500 mile race. After 250 miles, Danicas average
speed was 150 miles per hour. Approximately how fast should Danica drive
the second half of the race if she wants to attain an overall average of 180
miles per hour?

(A) 210 (B) 215 (C) 220 (D) 225 (E) 230
Solution: D. Danica has driven for 250/150 = 5/3 hours so far. If she drives
500
the remaining 250 miles in x hours we need 5/3+x = 180. This gives x = 10/9
so her average speed must be 250/x = 225 mph.

2. Suppose a and b are positive numbers different from 1 satisfying ab = ab and

a/b = a2b . Then the value of 8a + 3b is

(A) 26 (B) 27 (C) 28 (D) 29 (E) 30

Solution: D. Squaring the first equation, we get a2 b2 = a2b so that a2 b2 = a/b
or a = 1/b3 . Substituting this into the first equation, we find 1/b2 = 1/b3b .
This gives 2 = 3b so that b = 2/3. Then a = 27/8.

3. Let a, b and c be positive numbers with both a and b greater than 1. Find the
solution of the equation logb x logb (x c) = a.
cba aba cba aba c
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
ba 1 1 ba 1 + ba 1 + bc ba 1
 
x x
Solution: A. Combining logarithms we have logb xc
= a so that xc
= ba
a
or x = ba (x c). Therefore, x = bcb
a 1 .

4. Let x denote the smallest positive integer satisfying 12x = 25y 2 for some
positive integer y. What is x + y?

(A) 75 (B) 79 (C) 81 (D) 83 (E) 88

Solution: C. Note that 25y = (5y) so 12x = 22 3x must be a perfect square
2 2

multiple of 5. The smallest integer 3x is 32 52 , so x = 3 52 = 75 and in this

case y = 6. Thus x + y = 81.
UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive

P 1
S
S
S 1
S 1
2 S
S
S 1
S
S
A 2 Q

Figure 1: Illustration to Question 5.

5. We want to divide the L shaped region shown in Figure 1 into two pieces with
equal areas by means of a line from P to Q. The point P is always in the
upper left hand corner of the region and the point Q must lie along the bottom
edge as shown. When this is done, which of the following numbers is closest
to the distance from A to Q?

(A) 1.2 (B) 1.3 (C) 1.4 (D) 1.5 (E) 1.6
Solution: D. Place Q 1.5 units to the right of A. Then remove the rectangle
BCDQ and place it in the position F GBH as shown in Figure 2. The line
P Q cuts the area in half.

P F G
S
S
S
S H B C
S
S
S
S
S
A Q D

Figure 2: Illustration to the solution of Question 5.

2
UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive

6. Let N = abcdef be a six-digit number such that def abc is six times the value
of abcdef . What is the sum of the digits of N ?

(A) 27 (B) 29 (C) 31 (D) 33 (E) 35

Solution: A. Let x = abc and y = def . Then 1000y + x = 6(1000x + y), from
which it follows that 857x = 142y. Since 857 and 142 are relatively prime, 857
must divide y. Since y is a three-digit number, y must be 857, and x = 142.
The sum of the digits of N is 8 + 5 + 7 + 1 + 4 + 2 = 27.

7. Three adjacent squares rest on a line. Line L passes through a corner of each
square as shown in Figure 3. The lengths of the sides of the two smaller squares
are 4 cm and 6 cm. Find the length of one side of the largest square.



H  I

E  F

D
C

A B G J

Figure 3: Illustration to Question 7.

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 14

Solution: B. The slope of the line in question is 1/2, so the largest square is
9 9.

8. What is the area of the triangular region in the first quadrant bounded on
the left by the y-axis, bounded above by the line 7x + 4y = 168 and bounded
below by the line 5x + 3y = 121?

(A) 16 (B) 50/3 (C) 17 (D) 52/3 (E) 53/3

Solution: B. The triangle has a base along the y-axis of 42 121/3 = 5/3 and
an altitude of 20 (the lines intersect at (20, 7). So the area is 21 53 20 = 50/3.

3
UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive

9. Given that (x, y) satisfies x2 + y 2 = 9, what is the largest possible value of

x2 + 3y 2 + 4x?

(A) 22 (B) 24 (C) 36 (D) 27 (E) 29

Solution: E. Replace y with 9x to get x 3x2 +27+4x = 292x2 +4x2 =
2 2 2

29 2(x 1)2 , which is at most 29.

10. Two red, two white, and two blue faces, all unit squares, are available for
building a cube. How many distinguishable cubes can be built?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 9

Solution: A. First, suppose that there is exactly one pair of opposite faces of
the same color. In this case, there is just one cube with the blue faces opposite,
one with the white faces opposite, and one with the red faces opposite. There
are no cubes with exactly two pairs of opposite faces of the same color. There
is just one cube where all three pairs of opposite faces are the same color.
Finally, there is one cube where no pair of opposite faces are the same color.
We get a total of five distinguishable cubes.

11. Seven women and seven men attend a party. At this party, each man shakes
hands with each other person once. Each woman shakes hands only with men.
How many handshakes took place at the party?

(A) 49 (B) 70 (C) 91 (D) 133 (E) 182

Solution: B. Seven men can shake hands with each other in 76/2 = 21 ways.
The men can shake hands with the women in 7 7 = 49 ways. Adding these,
we get 70 handshakes.

12. How many different sums can you get by adding three different numbers from
the set {3, 6, 9, . . . , 21, 24}?

(A) 15 (B) 16 (C) 18 (D) 20 (E) 22

Solution: B. The smallest possible sum is 3 + 6 + 9 = 18 and the largest is
18 + 21 + 24 = 63 and the set of all possible sums is {18, 21, 24, . . . , 63}, that
is, the set of multiples of 3 in the range 18 up to 63. There are 16 numbers in
this set.

4
UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive

13. Two different unit squares are randomly selected from the 16 squares in the
4 4 grid shown in Figure 4. What is the probability that they have at least
one point in common?

Figure 4: Illustration to Question 13.

1 1 7 11 3
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
4 3 20 30 8
Solution: C. Each corner square touches 3 others. Each other edge square
touches 5 others, and each interior square touches 8 others.
 Therefore there
are 42 pairs of squares that touch one-another. There are 162
= 120 pairs of
42 7
squares, so the probability is 120 = 20 .

14. A doodlebug is an insect which crawls among the lattice points (points with
integer coordinates) of the plane. Each move of a doodlebug is 5 units hor-
izontally or vertically followed by 3 units in a perpendicular direction. For
example, from (0,0) a doodlebug can move to any of the eight locations
(5, 3), (3, 5). What is the fewest number of moves required to get from
(0, 0) to (8, 0)?

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 10 (E) No such sequence of moves exists

Solution: C. Note that 8 is not a multiple of 5 or a multiple of 3, so the
horizontal portion of the moves must contain at least one three and one five.
This must then be true of the vertical portion of the moves as well. Since
the y-coordinate of (8,0) is zero, we need a multiple of fives and a multiple
of threes to add to zero. The least number of moves that allow this requires
5 threes and 3 fives. This works since we can choose the vertical portion
to be 5 + 5 + 5 3 3 3 3 3 = 0 and the horizontal portion to be
3 + 3 3 + 5 + 5 5 + 5 5 = 8.

5
UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive

15. Charlies current age is a prime number less than 100. The product of the
digits of Charlies age is the same number as it was seven years ago. In how
many years will the product of the digits be the same again?

(A) 7 (B) 8 (C) 9 (D) 11 (E) 13

Solution: C. Charlies current age must be a two digit number. Suppose
that Charlies current age is 10a + b where a, b are one of the digits 0, . . . , 9
(a 6= 0). Then seven years ago, his age would be 10a + b 7. If b 7 0
then the product of the digits can not be ab as it was. Therefore we can write
10a + b 7 = 10(a 1) + b + 3 and the product of the digits (a 1)(b + 3) must
equal ab. This gives b = 3a 3. Since 0 b < 7 we can only have a = 2 or 3
and current ages of 23 and 36. Only 23 is prime. The next time the product
of the digits will be six is at age 32, which is 9 years later.

16. Which of the following numbers is closest to the value of the continued fraction
2
1 + 1+ 2 2
1+...

(A) 1.00 (B) 1.02 (C) 1.04 (D) 1.06 (E) 1.08
2
Solution: A. Let x be the value of the continued fraction. Then x = 1+x
so
that x = 1

17. Suppose that f (n) = 2f (n + 1) f (n 1) for n = 0, 1, 2, 3, . . . and

f (1) = 4 and f (1) = 2. Evaluate f (2).

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

Solution: E. We have f (0) = 2f (1) f (1) = 8 2 = 6. Substituting
f (0) = 6 into f (1) = 2f (2) f (0) gives 4 = 2f (2) 6. Thus f (2) = 5.

6
UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive

18. Each letter in the long division below stands for a single digit of a decimal
number. The letter M is not zero and no leading digit is zero. Different
letters may be used for the same digit. What is the value of B?
J K 8 L M
A B) C D E F G H I
N P Q
R S
T U
V W X
Y O Z
1
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 5
Solution: B. Because the quotient has 5 digits but only 3 subtractions were
performed, 2 digits of the quotient must be zero. These digits can not be the
first or last. So K = L = 0. We see J times AB is N P Q, but 8 times AB
is T U , so J must be 9. M times AB is Y OZ, a three digit number, so M is
also 9. We know AB times 8 has a two digit product, while AB times 9 has a
three digit product. Therefore AB = 12. Since CDEF GHI equals AB times
JK8LM plus one, we find the dividend to be 1089709.
19. Which of the following numbers is the sum of the squares of three consecutive
odd numbers?

(A) 1281 (B) 1441 (C) 1595 (D) 1693 (E) 1757
Solution: C. Let u be the middle number. Then
q the sum is (u 2)2 + u2 +
(u + 2)2 = 3u2 + 8. If the sum is S then u = S8
3
is an integer. This is only
the case for option (C).
20. If (2x 4x )2 + (2x + 4x )2 = 144, what is x?
1 1 3 5 3
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
4 2 4 4 2
Solution: E. To simplify the calculation, let t = 2x . Then
144 = (t t2 )2 + (t + t2 )2 = 2(t2 + t4 )
Thus t4 + t2 72 = (t2 + 9)(t2 8) = 0 and hence t2 = 22x = 8 = 23 . Therefore
x = 3/2.

7
UNC Charlotte 2009 Comprehensive

21. An urn contains marbles of four colors, red, green, blue and yellow. All but
25 are red, all but 25 are yellow, and all but 25 are blue. All but 36 are green.
How many of the marbles are green?

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

Solution: A. Let r, g, y, b denote the number of red, green, yellow and blue
marbles respectively. Then the equations translate into g+b+y = 25, r+g+y =
25, r + b + g = 25 and r + b + y = 36. Adding all four equations together yields
3(r + g + y + b) = 111, which means that r + g + y + b = 37. Subtract the
fourth equation from this one to get g = 1.

22. How many two-element subsets {a, b} of {1, 2, 3, . . . , 16} satisfy ab is a perfect
square?

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

Solution: E. Any two-element subset of {1, 4, 9, 16} satisfies the condition.
There are six of these. There are just two other sets, {2, 8} and {3, 12}.

8
 UNC Charlotte 2010 Comprehensive
with solutions
March 8, 2010

1. A cubic equation x3 4x2 11x + a = 0 has three roots, x1 , x2 , x3 .

If x1 = x2 + x3 , what is a?

(A) 24 (B) 28 (C) 30 (D) 32 (E) 36

2
Solution: C. Because the coefficient of x is 4, we have x1 + x2 + x3 = 4. We
also know that x1 = x2 + x3 , so 2x1 = 4 and x1 = 2. Since x = 2 is a root, we have
23 4(22 ) 11(2) + a = 0 so a = 30.

2. For which value of a is the polynomial P (x) = x1000 + ax + 9 divisible by x + 1?

(A) none (B) 10 (C) 10 (D) 9 (E) 9

Solution: B. The polynomial P (x) is divisible by x + 1 precisely when P (1)=0.
This gives a = 10.

3. Suppose you visit Mars and meet some aliens who teach you their system of counting.
You notice that they use a true place value system that is similar to ours, but
the Martians use base 6 instead of base 10. Table 1 shows how to translate their
characters into our digits.

# & < @ /
0 1 2 3 4 5

Table 1: Martian characters

Convert the number 54 (base 10) to its Martian equivalent.

(A) &@ (B) &@# (C) @& (D) #@& (E) /

Solution: B. 54 = 1 62 + 3 6 + 0 1, so the answer is &@#.
1
 
12
1 2
4. Let x = . To which of the following intervals does x belong?
2
(A) (0, 1/8] (B) (1/8, 1/4] (C) (1/4, 1/2] (D) (1/2, 1] (E) (1, )
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

1
Solution: C. Let y = 12 2
. Then y = 2. Because 1 < y < 2 and 0 < 1
2
< 1, we
have ( 21 )2 < ( 12 )y < ( 12 )1 .

5. A room is shaped like a cube with sides of length 4 meters. Suppose that A and B
denote two corners of the room that are farthest from each other. A caterpillar is
crawling from A to B along the walls. What is the shortest possible length of the
trip?

(A) 4 2 meters (B) 4 3 meters (C) 8 meters

(D) 4 5 meters (E) 4 6 meters

Solution: D. A shortest path between A and B is contained in two adjacent faces

of the cube and goes through the middle of their common side. The caterpillar
2 2 2
travels x units in each
of two faces where x = 4 + 2 = 20. Therefore, the distance
traveled is 2x = 4 5.

6. A plane passes through the center of a cube and is perpendicular to one of the cubes
diagonals. How many edges of the cube does the plane intersect? (An edge is a line
connecting adjacent corners.)

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 8

Solution: D. Suppose that each edge of the cube has length one and that we place
the cube so that one corner is at the origin of a three dimensional coordinate system
(x, y, z) so that 0 x, y, z 1. Let the diagonal connect the vertices (0, 0, 0) and
(1, 1, 1). Then the equation of the plane is x + y + z = 32 . This plane intersects
edges connecting vertices whose coordinates sum to 3. (For example, it intersects
the edge connecting (1, 0, 0) to (1, 1, 0) (because at a point halfway between these
vertices, we have x + y + z = 32 ). There are six such edges.
Alternate solution: The angle a diagonal of the cube makes with the corresponding
diagonal of the square at the bottom is less than 45o . Thus the perpendicular plane
through the midpoint of the diagonal will intersect the diagonal of the bottom
inside the bottom square and the diagonal of the top inside the top square. Thus
the plane must cut through two adjacent edges on the top and two adjacent edges on
the bottom. It will also intersect both vertical edges that contain neither endpoint
of the diagonal.

2
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

7. Four numbers are written in a row. The average of the first two numbers is 5. The
average of the middle two numbers is 4 and the average of the last two numbers is
10. What is the average of the first and last numbers?

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 10.5 (D) 11 (E) 11.5

Solution: D. Denote the numbers by A, B, C, and D. Then 21 (A + B) = 5, 12 (B +

C) = 4, and 21 (C +D) = 10. Therefore 12 (A+D) = 12 (A+B) 12 (B+C)+ 12 (C +D) =
11.

8. The 8 10 grid below has numbers in half the squares. These numbers indicate the
number of mines among the squares that share an edge with the given one. Squares
containing numbers do not contain mines. Each square that does not have a number
either has a single mine or nothing at all. How many mines are there?

(A) 19 (B) 20 (C) 21 (D) 22 (E) 23

1 1 2 2 1
1 2 3 2 3
3 2 3 2 2
1 3 2 1 3
3 2 1 1 2
2 4 1 1 2
3 3 2 3 1
1 2 2 3 2
Solution: D. The solution is unique. Start with the 4 and build outwards.

1 1 2 2 1
1 2 3
2 3
3
2 3 2 2
1 3 2 1 3
3 2 1 1 2
2 4 1 1 2
3 3 2 3 1
1 2 2 3 2

Counting row by row, we see that there are 22 mines.

3
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

9. John and Bill toss a biased coin that has a 60% chance of coming up heads and
a 40% chance of coming up tails. They flip the coin until either two heads or two
tails in a row are observed. Bill is a winner if two heads in a row are observed first.
Which of the following numbers is closest to the probability that Bill will win?

(A) 61/95 (B) 63/95 (C) 64/95 (D) 67/95 (E) 69/95

Solution: B. Let x be the probability that Bill wins after a head is tossed and let y
be the probability that he wins after a tail is tossed. After a head is tossed, there is
a 60% chance of winning on the next toss. Since a tail occurs the remaining 40% of
the time and the probability of winning after that is y, we must have x = 0.6 + 0.4y.
Similarly, if a tail was tossed, Bill loses immediately 40% of the time. The remaining
60% of the time a head was tossed and the probability of winning is now x. Thus,
15 9
y = 0.6x. Solving these equations, we find that x = 19 and y = 19 . Since there is a
60% chance of a head on the first toss and a 40% chance of a tail, the probability
63
of winning is 0.6x + 0.4y = 95 .
Alternate solution: The winning toss sequences for Bill are HH, HTHH, HTHTHH,
HTHTHTHH, ... THH, THTHH, THTHTHH, THTHTHTHH ... . Let h represent
the probability of a head on one toss and t represent the probability of a tail.
Summing the probabilities for each of these gives an infinite sum h2 + hth2 +
hthth2 + hththth2 + + th2 + thth2 + ththth2 + thththth2 + = h2 (1 + t)(1 +
1
ht + (ht)2 + (ht)3 + ) = h2 (1 + t) 1ht (since 0 < ht < 1). For h = 0.6 = 35 and
 2
t = 0.4 = 52 , have 3
5
75 1
6
1 25
= 63
95
.

10. How many times in a 24 hour period do the hour and minute hands of a clock form
a right angle?

(A) 48 (B) 44 (C) 34 (D) 24 (E) None of these.

Solution: B. The minute hand moves 360 degrees in 60 minutes, or 6 degrees per
minute. The hour hand moves 360 degrees in 12 hours or 0.5 degrees per minute.
Since the minute hand travels 5.5 degrees per minute faster than the hour hand,
it gains 90 degrees every 90/5.5 minutes. In 24 hours (1440 minutes) 90 degrees
is gained 1440/(90/5.5) = 88 times. For half of these times, the angular difference
between the hands is 180 or zero degrees. The hands are at a right angle the
remaining 44 times.

4
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

11. A pyramid has a 10 ft. by 10 ft. square base. The height of the pyramid is also 10
ft. If we want to slice the pyramid into two pieces with equal volumes by cutting it
with a plane parallel to the base, how far above the base should we make the cut?

(A) 5 ft. (B) 5 3 4 ft. (C) 10 5 3 4 ft.
10
(D) 3
ft. (E) None of these.

Solution: C. The volume of the original pyramid is V = 31 s2 h = 1000 3

. Let x be
the distance above the base that the cut is made. The upper half is a pyramid with
height h = 10 x. By similarity, the upper half has a base that is 10 x by 10 x
and the volume of the upper half is 13 (10 x)3 . This volume must be one half the

original volume, so (10 x)3 = 500. Solving for x, we get x = 10 5 3 4.

12. How many pairs (x, y) of positive integers satisfy 2x + 7y = 1000?

(A) 70 (B) 71 (C) 72 (D) 73 (E) 74

Solution: B. Every even multiple of 7 between 14 and 994 = 71 14 works. In other

words x = 1000 14k works for k = 1, 2, . . . , 71.

13. Let A be the point (7, 4) and D be the point (5, 3). What is the length of the
shortest path ABCD, where B is a point (x, 2) and C is a point (x, 0)? This path
consists of three connected segments, with the middle one vertical.

(A) 2 + 29 (B) 31 (C) 2 + 31 (D) 2 + 33 (E) 41

Solution: A. Distance = 2+ 29. Reflect (5, 3) about the x-axis to get (5, 3). Now
the shortest distance from (7, 4) to (5, 3) is the same as for the original problem.
Imagine shrinking the vertical segment to zero by lowering the point (7, 4) down to
(7, 2). The line between (7, 2) and (5, 3) goes through the x-axis at x = 31 , and
5
the length of this segment is 29. Thus the shortest path has length 2 + 29.

5
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

14. Suppose f (0) = 3 and f (n) = f (n 1) + 2. Let T = f (f (f (f (5)))). What is the

sum of the digits of T ?
(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 9 (E) 10
Solution: C. In fact, f (n) = 2n + 3, and T = f (f (f (f (5)))) = f (f (f (13))) =
f (f (29)) = f (61) = 125.
15. Four sets A, B, C, and D each have 500 elements. The intersection of any two of
the sets has 115 elements. The intersection of any three of the sets has 52 elements.
The intersection of all four sets has 30 elements. How many elements are there in
the union of the four sets?
(A) 1465 (B) 1472 (C) 1482 (D) 1488 (E) 1512
Solution: D. By the inclusion-exclusion principle, the answer is 4 500 6 115 +
4 52 30 = 1488.
16. How many three digit numbers can be written as a sum of a three digit number and
its (one-, two-, or three-digit) reversal?
(A) 75 (B) 80 (C) 85 (D) 90 (E) 95
Solution: C. We want three digit numbers that can be written in the form abc+cba
i.e. 100(a + c) + 20b + c + a = 101(a + c) + 20b where a, b, c are non negative integers,
a 6= 0, and a + c 9. When a + c = 1, there are 10 values of b that work. This
is true when a + c = k for k = 1 . . . 8. When k = 9, 101(a + c) + 20b will not be a
three digit number unless b 4.5. There are 5 such values of b (0, 1, 2, 3, 4). Thus,
there are 8 10 + 5 = 85 numbers that can be written as the sum of a three digit
number and its reversal.
17. If (x, y, z) satisfy the three equations below, what is x + y + z?

2x y + z = 7

x + 2y + 3z = 1
x + y + 5z = 6

(A) 1 (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) 2 (E) 3

Solution: B. Subtracting twice the second equation from the first equation, we
obtain 5y 5z = 5 so that y = 1 z. Adding the second and third equations
yields 3y + 8z = 7. We now have 3(1 z) + 8z = 7. Therefore z = 2, y = 3, and
x = 1. The sum is zero.

6
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

18. How many positive integer divisors does N = 250 88 have?

(A) 24 (B) 28 (C) 30 (D) 32 (E) 40

Solution: E. The prime factorization of N is 24 53 11. Consequently there are
(4 + 1) (3 + 1)(1 + 1) = 40 divisors.

19. A 4 4 4 wooden cube is painted on five of its faces and is then cut into 64 unit
cubes. One unit cube is randomly selected and rolled. What is the probability that
the face showing is painted? Express your answer as a fraction.

(A) 5/24 (B) 1/4 (C) 7/24 (D) 1/3 (E) 1/2
Solution: A. There are 516 = 80 painted faces all of which are equally likely. There
are 64 6 = 384 faces altogether. Therefore the probability is 80/384 = 5/24.

20. How many integer triples (x, y, z) satisfy both

x, y, and z are positive integers less than 30 and

xy 2 z 3 = 10, 000.

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

Solution: A. The prime factorization of 10,000 is 24 54 . Writing x = 2a 5b , y =
2c 5d , and z = 2e 5f , we have a + 2c + 3e = 4 and b + 2d + 3f = 4. Because
0 a, b, c, d, e, f we can only have (a, c, e) = (4, 0, 0), (2, 1, 0), (1, 0, 1), (0, 2, 0). The
same choices are available for (b, d, f ). We do not get 16 possibilities, however. The
restriction x, y, z < 30 implies that if a = 4, then b = 0. If a = 2 or a = 1, then b 1,
if a = 0, then b 2. Similar restrictions are true for c, d and e, f . There are six pos-
sibilities for (x, y, z): (2, 25, 2), (5, 4, 5), (10, 1, 10), (16, 25, 1), (20, 2, 5), (25, 20, 1).

21. What is the sum of the three positive integers a, b, and c that satisfy
1
a+ 1 = 5.4?
b+ c

(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 12

Solution: B. First note that a = 5 and that b+1 1 = 0.4. So b + 1
c
= 2.5 and it
c
follows that b = 2 and c = 2. Thus a + b + c = 9.

7
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

22. Use each of the digits 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 exactly once to construct two three-digit numbers
M and N so that M N is positive and is as small as possible. Compute M N .

(A) 19 (B) 29 (C) 39 (D) 49 (E) 59

Solution: C. Since the hundreds digits must be different, the smaller of the numbers
N should have as large a tens digit as possible and the larger M should have as
small a tens digit as possible. So we should choose 8 and 2 for these digits provided
we can select the hundreds digits to be one apart. Given that the 2 and the 8 are
not available, there are just two pairs that we can use, 3 and 4 and 6 and 7. Picking
the tens digit of N to be as large as we can and the tens digit of M to be as small as
possible leads to M = 723 and N = 684. Thus the answer we seek is 723684 = 39.
Another possible pair is M = 426 and N = 387. In each case, M N = 39.

23. How many integers x with 1 x 100 satisfy the equation x2 + x3 = y 2 for some
integer y?

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

Solution: D. We know x and y are integers and x2 (x + 1) = y 2 . Using the prime

factorization of x and y, we see that x + 1 must be a perfect square. Since 1 x
100, x can be 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, 48, 63, 80, or 99. There are nine possible solutions.

8
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

24. Consider the 4 4 Kenken r puzzle below. The solution uses the numbers 1 to 4
exactly once in each row and each column. The sum of the digits in each cage is
the number given in the upper left corner of one of the squares. What digit goes in
the square with the ? ?

(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) The given puzzle has no solution.

5 7

11
?
5

12

Solution: D. The solution is unique. The square with the ? must be a 4. Begin
in the cage in the upper left hand corner. (Note that the numbers 3 and 4 must
occur in the cage in the upper right hand corner.) Then fill in the cage below it
with sum 5. Eventually, you find the following solution:
5 7
1 2 4 3
11
2 3 1 4
5
4 1 3 2
12
3 4 2 1
9
UNC Charlotte 2010 Problems

25. ABCD is an isosceles trapezoid with AB parallel to DC, AC = DC, and AD = BC.
If the height h of the trapezoid is equal to AB, find the ratio AB : DC.

(A) 2 : 3 (B) 3 : 5 (C) 4 : 5 (D) 5 : 7 (E) 5 : 9

A....... B...
. ... ...
... ............ ...
.. ....... ...
.. ....... ...
.. ....... ...
.. h .......
....... ...
.. .......
.. ....... .....
....... ..
.. ....... ...
... ........
..

D E C
Solution: B. Let E denote the intersection between the altitude h and DC and let
x = DE. Since AB = h we have DC = 2x+h. Noting that AC = DC and applying
the Pythagorean theorem to triangle ACE, we have h2 + (h + x)2 = (h + 2x)2 . This
is equivalent to (h3x)(h+x) = 0. Therefore h = 3x and AB : DC = h : (h+2x) =
3 : 5.

A....... B..
...
... ............. ...
.. ....... ...
.. ....... ...
.. ....... ...
.. .......
h ....... ...
.. .......
.. ....... .....
....... ..
.. ....... ...
... ........
.

x
D E C

10
 UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive
March 7, 2011

1. Three cowboys entered a saloon. The first ordered 4 sandwiches, a cup of

coffee, and 10 doughnuts for $8.45. The second ordered 3 sandwiches, a cup
of coffee, and 7 doughnuts for $6.30. How much did the third cowboy pay for
a sandwich, a cup of coffee, and a doughnut?

(A) $2.00 (B) $2.05 (C) $2.10 (D) $2.15 (E) $2.20

Solution: (A). From the payment of the first cowboy we find the price of 8
sandwiches, 2 cups of coffee, and 20 doughnuts = $16.90. From the payment
of the second cowboy we calculate the price of 9 sandwiches, 3 cups of coffee,
and 21 doughnuts = $18.90. The difference of the sums 18.90 16.90 = 2.00
is exactly the price of one sandwich, a cup of coffee, and a doughnut.

2. Given that a + b + c = 5 and ab + bc + ac = 5, what is the value of a2 + b2 + c2 ?

(A) 5 (B) 10 (C) 15 (D) 20 (E) 25

Solution: (C). We use the formula (a + b + c)2 = a2 + b2 + c2 + 2ab + 2bc + 2ac.

We have a2 + b2 + c2 = (a + b + c)2 2(ab + bc + ac) = 52 2 5 = 15.

3. Two circles, A and B, overlap each other as shown. The area of the common
part is 2/5 of the area of Circle A, and 5/8 of the area of Circle B. What is
the ratio of the radius of Circle A to that of Circle B?

A
B

(A) 2 : 1 (B) 3 : 2 (C) 4 : 3 (D) 5 : 4 (E) 6 : 5

Solution: (D). Let the radii of Circle A and B be r and R. Then we have
2
5
r2 = 58 R2 . Thus, 16r2 = 25R2 and 4r = 5R The ratio is 5 : 4.
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

4. A pine tree is 14 yards high, and a bird is sitting on its top. The wind blows
away a feather of the bird. The feather moves uniformly along a straight line
at the speed 4 yards per second; it falls on the ground 4.5 seconds later at a
distance D yards from the pine trees base. Which of the following intervals
contains the number D?

(A) (0, 10] (B) (10, 11] (C) (11, 12] (D) (12, 13] (E) (13, inf)

Solution: (C). The right triangle formed by the trunk of the tree, the path
of the feather and its projection on the ground, has hypotenuse 18 and legs 14
and D, so that D2 + 142 = 182 , or D2 = 324 196 = 128; since 112 = 121 <
128 < 144 = 122 , we have 11 < D < 12.

5. Three mutually tangent circles have centers A, B, C and radii a, b, and c respec-
tively. The lengths of segments AB, BC, CA are 17, 23, and 12 respectively.
Find the lengths of the radii.

C B

(A) a = 13, b = 9, c = 7 (B) a = 5, b = 12, c = 6 (C) a = 6, b = 9, c = 12

(D) a = 4, b = 8, c = 12 (E) a = 3, b = 14, c = 9

Solution: (E). We have a + b = 17, b + c = 23, and c + a = 12. Adding the

equations gives 2(a + b + c) = 52 or a + b + c = 26. Subtracting each of the
original equations from this last equation gives c = 9, a = 3, and b = 14.

2
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

6. A ladder is leaning against a wall with the top of the ladder 8 feet above the
ground. If the bottom of the ladder is moved 2 feet farther from the wall, the
top of the ladder slides all the way down the wall and rests against the foot of
the wall. How long is the ladder?

(A) 14 feet (B) 15 feet (C) 16 feet (D) 17 feet (E) 18 feet
Solution: (D). If the base is x feet from the wall in the initial position, then
the ladder must be x + 2 feet long. The Pythagoras theorem gives x2 + 82 =
(x + 2)2 which yields x = 15. The length of the ladder is 17 feet.

7. Each person in a group of five makes a statement: Amy says At least one of
us is lying. Ben says At least two of us are lying. Carrie says At least
four of us are lying. Donna says All of us are lying. Eddie says None of
us is lying. Based on these statements, how many are telling the truth?

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

Solution: (B). Donnas statement cannot be true so Donna and Eddie are
lying. This makes Amys statement and Bens statement true. Therefore,
Carrie is lying and the correct answer is (B).

8. The hour and minute hands of a clock are exactly 50 degrees apart at which
of these times?

(A) 2 : 20 (B) 5 : 36 (C) 7 : 50 (D) 9 : 30 (E) 11 : 10

Solution: (A). Every hour, the hour hand covers 360/12 = 30 degrees. At
2:20, the hour hand is 2 30 + (1/3) 30 = 70 degrees from the vertical. The
minute hand is 120 degrees from the vertical, so there are 50 degrees between
the two hands at 2:20.

9. The language of a pre-historic tribe is very simple and it contains only the 4
letters A, M, N, and O. Every word in this language has at most 4 letters.
What is the largest number of words that can be created if every word must
contain at least one vowel (A or O)?

(A) 256 (B) 310 (C) 340 (D) 400 (E) 420
Solution: (B). There are 4n ways of making all n-letter words; 2n of these
contain no vowels. Adding the number of 1-letter, 2-letter, 3-letter, and 4-
letter words with vowels, we obtain 4 2 + 42 22 + 43 23 + 44 24 = 310.

3
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

10. English and American spellings are rigour and rigor, respectively. A ran-
domly chosen man staying at a Parisian hotel writes this word, and a letter
taken at random from his spelling is found to be a vowel. If 40 percent of the
English-speaking men at the hotel are English and 60 percent are Americans,
what is the probability that the writer is an Englishman?

(A) 1/4 (B) 1/3 (C) 2/5 (D) 5/11 (E) 1/2
Solution: (D). The probability of choosing a vowel written by an Englishman
is 63 0.4 = 0.2. The probability of choosing a vowel is 36 0.4 + 25 0.6 = 0.44.
Therefore, the probability that the writer was English is 0.2/0.44 = 5/11.

11. A rational number 3.abc when rounded to the nearest tenth is 3.5. If a+b+c =
8 and a > b > c > 0, what is the value of 2a + bc?

(A) 17 (B) 14 (C) 12 (D) 11 (E) 10

Solution: (C). Because 3.abc rounds to 3.5, a = 4 or a = 5. Since b < a, we
see that a = 5. The conditions a + b + c = 8 and a > b > c > 0 force b = 2
and c = 1. Thus, 2a + bc = 12.

12. A farmer has 200 yards of fencing material. What is the largest rectangular
area he can enclose if he wants to use a 4 yard wide gate that does not need
to be covered by the fencing material?

(A) 2, 500 square yards (B) 2, 601 square yards (C) 2, 704 square yards
(D) 2, 809 square yards (E) 2, 916 square yards
Solution: (B). We may add the length of the gate to the length of the fencing
material and then we have 204 yards of fencing material. If the width of the
enclosed area is x yards then the length is (204 2x)/2 = 102 x yards. The
enclosed area is x(102 x) = 102x x2 = 512 (x 51)2 square yards. The
largest area of 512 = 2601 is achieved when the length and the width are both
51 yards.

13. Find the value of b logb (a) .

b a 1 1
(A) (B) (C) b (D) (E)
a b a b
Solution: (D). Let x = b logb (a) . Taking the log to the base b of both sides,
we have logb (x) = logb (a) = logb (a1 ). Therefore, x = a1 .

4
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

14. Find the real numbers m, n such that m + n = 3, and m3 + n3 = 117. What
is the value of m2 + n2 ?

(A) 29 (B) 3 (C) 9 (D) 17 (E) 45

Solution: (A). Factor the second equation and use the first equation. We
have m3 + n3 = (m + n)(m2 mn + n2 ) = 3(m2 mn + n2 ) = 117. Therefore
39 = m2 mn + n2 = (m + n)2 3mn = 9 3mn. Thus, mn = 10.
Substituting this into m2 mn + n2 = 39 we find that m2 + n2 = 29.

15. A taxicab driver charges $3.00 for the first half mile or less and $0.75 for
each quarter mile after that. If f represents the fare in dollars, which of the
following functions models the fare for a ride of x miles, where x is a positive
integer?

(A) f (x) = 3.00 + 0.75(x 1) (B) f (x) = 3.00 + 0.75(x/4 1)

(C) f (x) = 4.50 + 3(x 1) (D) f (x) = 3.00 + 3(x 1)
(E) f (x) = 3.00(x + 1)

Solution: (C). The first mile costs $4.50, and every mile thereafter costs
$3.00, so item C. is the right choice.

16. The cells of an infinite chess board are labeled with two integers each (the
number of the column and that of the row). A child rolls a very small ball
that starts from the center of the cell (8,11). There are tiny bugs at the centers
of some cells. The ball rolls along a straight line; it hits a bug if and only if
it rolls exactly through the center of a cell containing a bug. This does not
affect the subsequent motion of the ball. It is known that the ball has hit a
bug at the center of the cell (20,24). The other bugs are at the centers of the
cells listed below. Which of them will be hit?

(A) (68, 75) (B) (69, 76) (C) (67, 75) (D) (69, 77) (E) (68, 76)

Solution: (E). The bug at the center of the cell (a, b) is hit if and only if
the centers of the cells (8,11), (20,24) and (a, b) are on the same line, that is,
a8 b11
208
= 2411 . This is true only for the last pair (a = 68, b = 76).

5
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

17. Football teams score 1, 2, 3,or 6 points at a time. They can score 1 point (point-
after-touchdown) only immediately after scoring 6 points (a touchdown). A
scoring sequence is a sequence of numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, where all the 1s are im-
mediately preceded by 6. Both 2, 6, 1, 3, 2 and 3, 3, 3, 3, 2 are scoring sequences
with value 14. How many scoring sequences have value 10?

(A) 12 (B) 14 (C) 15 (D) 16 (E) 18

Solution: (A). There is either one touchdown or none. With 1 touchdown

the scoring sequences with value 10 are 613, 361, 622, 262, 226. With no touch-
downs there is 3322 and its permutations, of which there are 6 total, and 22222
So the total number of sequences with value 10 is 5 + 6 + 1 = 12.

18. Let r = 11 10!, s = 10 11!, t = 12!. Rank the numbers r, s, t from
smallest to largest.

(A) r < t < s (B) r < s < t (C) t < r < s (D) t < s < r (E)
s<t<r

Solution: (A). r = 11 10!, t = 12 11 10! and s = 10 11 10!, so r <
t < s.

19. The integers 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and 13 are arranged, without repetition, in a hor-
izontal row so that the sum of any two numbers in adjoining positions is a
perfect square (the square of an integer). Find the sum of the first and last.

(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 17

Solution: (C). Build a graph with the six vertices labeled 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and
13. Join two when their sum is a perfect square. Note that 5 and 6 are related
to only 4 and 3 respectively, so they must be at the ends. The sequence
6 3 13 12 4 5 works.

6
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

20. You are walking across a very large field with no obstructions when you see
your friend, Sandy, Y yards to your north. Sandy is walking at 1 yard per
second toward the north-east. If you walk at a steady speed of 2 yards per
second and Sandy does not alter her speed or direction, what is the shortest
distance (measured in yards) you must walk before you catch up with her?
! ! !
3 3+ 8 1+ 3
(A) 2Y (B) 2Y (C) 2Y
2 6 3
! !
2 + 14 2 + 15
(D) 2Y (E) 2Y
6 6

Solution: (D). To keep the distance as short as possible, you must walk in a
straight line. Because of your relative speeds, when you intercept Sandy, you
must have walked twice as far as she has. In the diagram below, you walk 2x
yards while Sandy walks x yards.

x
A 2 B

x
2
x
C 2x
Y

Triangle ABC is an isosceles right triangle with hypotenuse

2  2
of length x. Using
x x
the Pythagorean theorem we find that Y + 2 + 2 = (2x)2 . This

is equivalent to 3x2 2xY Y 2 = 0. Using thequadratic formula and
2+ 14
discarding the negative root, we find that x = Y 6
. This problem can
also be solved using the law of cosines.

7
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

21. Let n be the product of four consecutive positive integers. How many of the
numbers 4, 8, 10, 12, and 15 must be divisors of n?

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

Solution: (C). Two of the four consecutive integers must be even and at least
one of these must be divisible by 4. Also, one of the four must be divisible by
3. Therefore, 4, 8, and 12 must be divisors of the product. Since 10 and 15
are not divisors of 1 2 3 4, the correct answer is 3.
6
22. The inequality |x + 3| 2 is equivalent to the inequality a x+7
b. Find
the value of a2 + b.

(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6 (E) 7

Solution: (B). |x + 3| 2 is equivalent to 2 x + 3 2. Adding 4 to
1
each part of this inequality gives 2 x + 7 6. Therefore, 61 x+7 12 or
6
1 x+7 3. Thus, a = 1 and b = 3.

23. What is the area of a triangle with sides of length 13, 16, and 41?

(A) 36 (B) 38 (C) 40 (D) 42 (E) 44

Solution: (C).

13
41
5

4 12

2 2
Use the diagram above or use the lawq of cosines: 41 = 16 +13 21613 cos()
to find cos() = 12
13
5
. Since sin() = 1 cos2 () = 13 . the area is 12 165 = 40.

24. Suppose that f (x) = ax + b, where a and b are real numbers. Given that
f (f (f (x))) = 8x + 21, what is the value of a + b?

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

Solution: (D). f (f (f (x))) = a3 x + a2 b + ab + b = 8x + 21 so a = 2 and
7b = 21. Therefore a + b = 5.

8
UNC Charlotte 2011 Comprehensive

n
25. For how many integers n is the value of 50n
the square of an integer?

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

n 2
Solution: (E). Let 50n = k 2 . Then n = k50k 2 +1 . Because n is an integer
and k 2 + 1 does not divide k 2 unless k = 0, we see that k 2 + 1 must divide
50 = 5 5 2. This happens when k = 0, 1, 2, 3 or 7.

9
 UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra
March 5, 2012

1. In the English alphabet of capital letters, there are 15 stick letters which
contain no curved lines, and 11 round letters which contain at least some
curved segment. How many different 3-letter sequences can be made of two
different stick letters and one curved letter?

Stick: A E F H I K L M N T V W X Y Z
Round: B C D G J O P Q R S U

(A) 2310 (B) 4620 (C) 6930 (D) 13860 (E) none of these
Solution: (C). 6930. Without regard to order, there are C(15, 2) = 105
choices for the two stick letters and 11 choices for the round letter. Allowing
for different orders, there are 3! = 6 ways to order the chosen letters, so the
total number with order considered is 6 105 11 = 6930.
2. The area bounded by the graph of the function y = |x| and by the line y = c
is 5. What is c equal to?

(A) 1 (B) 5 (C) 25 (D) 5 (E) 2 5
Solution: (D). The area bounded by the two graphs is a triangle with base
2
2c and height c. Thus its area is c = 5 hence c = 5.
266 . . . 6
3. Find the value of , where both the numerator and the denominator
66 . . . 65
have 2012 digits.
(A) 13/35 (B) 3/8 (C) 2/5 (D) 3/7 (E) 16/35
Solution: (C). The numerator is
102012 1
 
2012 8 2 4 1
2 10 +6 = 102012 = 2 102012 .
9 3 3 3 3
The denominator is
102012 1
 
20 5 4 1
60 +5= 102012 = 5 102012 .
9 3 3 3 3
UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra

After simplifying by 4/3 102012 1/3 we obtain 2/5.

Alternatively, one can simply perform a long division to see this.

4. A positive integer equals 11 times the sum of its digits. The units digit of this
number is
(A) 8 (B) 6 (C) 4 (D) 2 (E) 0
Solution: (A). The number can not have four digits because then it is at least
1000, whereas 11 times the sum of its digits is at most 11 (9 + 9 + 9 + 9) = 396.
The situation gets worse if we increase the number of digits. The number can
not have a single digit either, because then the sum of its digits, multiplied by
11, has at least two digits. Assume the number has two digits, i.e, it is of the
form ab. Then we must have 10a + b = 11a + 11b or, equivalently, 0 = a + 10b.
This is again impossible. We are left with the possibility that our number abc
has three digits. This leads to the equation

100a + 10b + c = 11a + 11b + 11c,

which is equivalent to
89a = b + 10c.
In other words, 89a must equal the two digit number cb. This is only possible
if a = 1, b = 9, c = 8. The units digit of 198 is 8.

5. Let a and b be the two roots of the equation x2 + 3x 3 = 0. Evaluate the

value a2 + b2 .
(A) 4 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 15
Solution: (E). Since a + b = 3 and ab = 3 so we have a2 + b2 = (a + b)2
2ab = (3)2 2 (3) = 15.

6. Elizabeth Joy has 30 coins consisting of nickels and dimes. If her nickels were
dimes and her dimes were nickels, she would have 80 cents more than she has.
How many nickels does she have?
(A) 18 (B) 19 (C) 20 (D) 21 (E) 23
Solution: (E). Each interchange of a dime and a nickel increases her total
by 5 cents. So she must have 80/5 = 16 more dimes than nickels. Is n is the
number of nickels and d the number of dimes, then n d = 16 and n + d = 30.
Solving simultaneously, we get n = 23.

2
UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra

7. What is the sum of the squares of the roots of x4 7x2 + 10 = 0?

(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 9 (D) 10 (E) 14
2 2

Solution: (E). (x 5)(x 2) = 0 so x = 2 and 5. So the squares of
the roots are 2, 2, 5 and 5. Their sum is 14.
8. How many five-digit integers of the form (a11bc)10 = 104 a + 1100 + 10b + c
(where a 1) are divisible by 45?
(A) 18 (B) 19 (C) 20 (D) 21 (E) 22.
Solution: (C). c can be either 0 or 5 and a + b + c + 2 is divisible by 9. Two
cases:
a) c = 0 and a + b + 2 is divisible by 9, so a + b = 16 (3 cases: (7, 9), (8, 8),
(9, 7)) or a + b = 7 (7 cases: (1, 6), (2, 5), ..., (7, 0)). b) c = 5 and a + b + 7 is
divisible by 9, so a + b = 11 (8 cases: (2, 9), (3, 8), ..., (9, 2)) or a + b = 2 (2
cases: (2, 0) and (1, 1)). Thus the answer is 3 + 7 + 8 + 2 = 20.
9. Let a and b denote any of the digits from 1 to 9. How many ordered pairs
(a, b) are there with the property that both 10a + b and 10b + a are primes?
(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 13
Solution: (B). If a = b the only possibility is the number (1, 1). If a 6= b,
these two digits can only be 1, 3, 7, 9. We can check that we get the pairs
(1, 3), (3, 1); (1, 7), (7, 1); (3, 7), (7, 3); (7, 9), (9, 7). Together we get 9
pairs.
10. From the list of all natural numbers 2, 3, . . . 999, one deletes sublists of num-
bers nine times: At first, one deletes all even numbers, then all numbers
divisible by 3, then all numbers divisible by 5, and so on, for the nine primes
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23. Find the sum of the composite numbers left in the
remaining list.
(A) 0 (B) 961 (C) 3062 (D) 2701 (E) 899
Solution: (D).The composite numbers left have all prime factors at least 29.
There are three of them less than 1000: 29 29 = 841, 29 31 = 899 and
31 31 = 961, with the sum 841 + 899 + 961 = 2701.
11. A number c is called a multiple zero of a polynomial P (x) if P (x) has a factor
of the form (x c)m where m 2. How many numbers are multiple zeros of
the polynomial P (x) = (x6 1)(x 1) (x3 1)(x2 1)?

3
UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4

Solution: (B). One can factor the polynomial as (x6 1)(x1)(x3 1)(x2
1) = (x3 1)(x3 + 1)(x 1) (x3 1)(x 1)(x + 1) = (x3 1)(x 1)[(x3 + 1)
(x+1)] = (x1)(x2 +x+1)(x1)x(x1)(x+1) = x(x1)3 (x+1)(x2 +x+1).
Hence x = 1 is the only multiple zero.
12. Two adjacent sides of the unit square and two sides of an equilateral triangle
bisect each other. Find the area of the equilateral triangle.

(A) 3/2 (B) 1 (C) 0.8 (D) 2 (E) 2/2
Solution: (A). Let M and N be the two points where the two sides of the
unit square and two sides of an equilateral
triangle bisect each other. Their
2
distance from each other is |M N | = 2 . Hence the side of the equilateral

3 2
triangle is a = 2. Its area is 4 a = 23 .
13. After a ship wreck, a surviving mouse finds himself on an uninhabited island
with one kilogram of cheese and no other food. On the 1st day, he eats 1/4 of
the cheese, on the 2nd, 1/9 of the remaining cheese, on the 3rd, 1/16 of the
remainder, and so on. Let M be the total amount of cheese (measured in kilo-
grams) consumed during the first 6 weeks. Which of the following statements
is true?
(A) 0.4878 < M 0.4881 (B) 0.4881 < M 0.4884
(C) 0.4884 < M 0.4887 (D) 0.4887 < M 0.4890
(E) 0.4890 < M 0.4893
Solution: (B). The initial amount of cheese is 1kg; since on the kth day the
1
mouse eats (k+1)2 of the remaining cheese, the amount remaining after n days

is
       
1 1 1 1 1 1
1 2 1 2 1 2 ... 1 1 2 1
2 3 4 (n 1)2 n (n + 1)2
13 24 35 (n 2) n (n 1) (n + 1) n (n + 2)
= ...
22 33 44 (n 1) (n 1) nn (n + 1) (n + 1)
1 n+2
= ,
2 n+1
so that the consumed amount is
1 n+2 1 n
1 = .
2 n+1 2 n+1

4
UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra

For n = 42, this is

1 42
0.48837.
2 43
14. Three crazy painters painted the floor in three different colors. One painted
75% of the floor in red on Monday, the second painted 70% of the floor in green
on Tuesday, and the third painted 65% of the floor in blue on Wednesday. At
least what percent of the floor must be painted in all the three colors?
(A) 10% (B) 25% (C) 30% (D) 35% (E) 65%
Solution: (A). 25% of the floor is NOT painted in red. 30% of the floor is NOT
painted in green. 35% of the floor is NOT painted in blue. 25%+30%+35% =
90% That means at least 10% are not painted in the three color. One can show
that such coloring exists.
15. After each mile on a highway from Charlotte (CLT) to the City of Mathematics
Students (CMS) there is a two sided distance marker. One side of the marker
shows the distance from CLT while the opposite side shows the distance to
CMS. A curious student noticed that the sum of the digits from the two sides
of each marker stays a constant 13. Find the distance d between the cities.
(A) 10 d < 20 (B) 20 d < 30 (C) 30 d < 40 (D) 40 d < 50
(E) 50 d < 60
Solution: (D). The distance cannot exceed 49 miles since otherwise the
marker at 49 miles will have 49 on one side and a positive number on the
other side and the sum of the digits would be greater than 13. Now look at
the markers at one mile and ten miles. On the other side of these markers,
we must have one of the numbers 48 and 39. Thus the first one must be 48
and the second one 39. Thus, the distance can only be 49 miles. On the other
hand, one can check that the distance 49 does give a solution.
16. When an orchestra plays a national anthem, its musicians are ordered in a
square. When the orchestra plays any other song, the musicians are ordered
in a rectangle such that the number of rows increases by five. What is the
number m of musicians in the orchestra?
(A) 333 m < 444 (B) 222 m < 333 (C) 111 m < 222
(D) 50 m < 111 (E) m < 50
Solution: (A). Let the number of musicians in the orchestra be m = x x.
If we increase the number of rows by five, we must decrease the number of

5
UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra

columns by, say, c. The positive integers x and c must satisfy the equation
x2 = (x + 5)(x c),
which is equivalent to
5c = (5 c)x.
The left hand side (5c) is positive, hence the right hand side is also positive.
Thus 5 c > 0 and c is at most 4. Trying c = 1, 2, 3, 4 we see that only c = 4
yields an integer x. Thus we must have c = 4, x = 20, and x2 = 400.
17. Find the number of solutions (m, n) to the equation 1/n 1/m = 1/12 where
m and n are both natural numbers.
(A) 8 (B) 7 (C) 6 (D) 5 (E) 4
Solution: (B). Since 1/n = 1/12 + 1/m > 1/12, n 11. Now, 1/m =
1/n 1/12 so m = 12n/(12 n) is a natural number. Plug n = 1, 2, ..., 11
in the above, we have seven solutions for the (n, m) pair: (3, 4), (4, 6), (6, 12),
(8, 24), (9, 36), (10, 60) and (11, 132).
18. Infinitely many empty boxes, each capable of holding six dots are lined up from
right to left. Each minute a new dot appears in the rightmost box. Whenever
six dots appear in the same box, they fuse together to form one dot in the next
box to the left. How many dots are there after 2012 minutes? For example,
after seven minutes we have just two dots, one in the rightmost box and one
in the next box over.
(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 12
Solution: (E). This is just base 6 enumeration in disguise. The base 6 rep-
resentation of 2012 is 13152, so there are 1 + 3 + 1 + 5 + 2 = 12 dots in the
boxes after 2012 minutes.
19. The Fibonacci numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, . . . form a sequence where each term,
after the first two, is the sum of the two previous terms. How many of the
first 1000 terms are even?
(A) 222 (B) 333 (C) 499 (D) 500 (E) 501
Solution: (B). The sequence of remainders, when we divide by 2, is 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0 . . .,
i.e., a periodic sequence that repeats itself after each third entry. Hence the
number of even entries among the first thousand Fibonacci numbers is the
same as the number of positive integers up to 1000 that are multiples of 3.

6
UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra

m
20. Let denote the fraction, in lowest terms, that is caught between 47 and 5
8
n
and has the smallest denominator of any such fraction. What is m + n?
(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 11
Solution: (D). One possible fraction is the mediant of 74 and 58 , namely
4+5 9
7+8
= 15 = 35 . To see that no fraction between 4/7 and 5/8 has a smaller
denominator, note that 1/3 < 1/2 < 4/7 < 5/8 < 2/3 < 3/4.

21. Find the remainder of 32012 when it is divided by 7.

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 5
Solution: (C). 3 = 27 1 (mod 7). 2012 = 3 670 + 2 so 32011 =
3

32 27670 2 (mod 7).

22. How many two-digit numbers are divisible by each of their digits?
(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 13 (E) 14
Solution: (E). We are looking for two-digit numbers 10a+b with the property
that a and b both divide 10a + b. Equivalently, a divides b and b divides 10a.
If a = 1 then b divides 10, thus b {1, 2, 5} (three values). If a = 2 then b is
even and divides 20, thus b {2, 4} (two values). If a = 3 then b is a multiple
of 3 and divides 30, thus b {3, 6} (two values). If a = 4 then b {4, 8} (two
values). If a is at least 5, i.e., a {5, 6, 7, 8, 9} then the only way for b be a
multiple of a and a digit is b = a (five values). Altogether we get fourteen
solutions.

23. Let C be a circle that intersects each of the circles (x + 2)2 + y 2 = 22 , (x

4)2 + (y 2)2 = 22 and (x 4)2 + (y + 2)2 = 22 in exactly one point and does
not contain any of these circles inside it. If the radius r of C is of the form
r = p/q where p and q are relatively prime integers, what is p + q?
(A) 5 (B) 7 (C) 9 (D) 11 (E) 13
Solution: (B). The center of C is of the form (r, 0) by symmetry. Finding
its distances to the center (4, 2) of (x 4)2 + (y 2)2 = 22 and to the center
(2, 0) of (x + 2)2 + y 2 = 22 lead to (r + 2)2 = (r 4)2 + (0 2)2 . Solving for
r, we get r = 34 .

24. What is the sum of the digits for a 5 digit number that has the property that
if we put a 1 at the end of the number (making a 6 digit number ending in 1)

7
UNC Charlotte 2012 Algebra

the value is three times what we would get if we put the number 1 in front of
our five digit number (this gives a six digit number starting with 1)?
(A) 18 (B) 20 (C) 24 (D) 26 (E) 30
Solution: (D). Let x be the five digit number. Then the value when we put
one in front is 100000 + x and the value when we put the one at the end is
10x + 1. We get 10x + 1 = 3(100000 + x) so 7x = 299999 and x = 42857.
r
100 100 100
25. Find + + + . Round your answer to the nearest
23 34 2011 2012
decimal digit.
(A) 3.3 (B) 5.3 (C) 7.1 (D) 8.1 (E) 9.9
Solution: (C). Using the equality 1/k(k + 1) = 1/k 1/(k + 1) repeatedly,
we get
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
+ + + = + + + = .
23 34 2011 2012 2 3 3 4 2011 2012 2 2012
p
Thus what we are looking for is 50 100/2012 7.1.

8
 UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive
March 5, 2012

1. In the English alphabet of capital letters, there are 15 stick letters which
contain no curved lines, and 11 round letters which contain at least some
curved segment. How many different 3-letter sequences can be made of two
different stick letters and one curved letter?

Stick: A E F H I K L M N T V W X Y Z
Round: B C D G J O P Q R S U

(A) 2310 (B) 4620 (C) 6930 (D) 13860 (E) none of these
Solution: (C). 6930. Without regard to order, there are C(15, 2) = 105
choices for the two stick letters and 11 choices for the round letter. Allowing
for different orders, there are 3! = 6 ways to order the chosen letters, so the
total number with order considered is 6 105 11 = 6930.

2. I have several quarters. If I divide my quarters into two unequal piles, then
the difference of the squares of the number of coins in each pile is 24 times the
difference of the number of coins in each pile. How much is my collection of
quarters worth?
(A) $9 (B) $8 (C) $7 (D) $6 (E) $5
Solution: (D). Let x be the number of coins in the larger pile and y be the
number of coins in the smaller pile. Then x2 y 2 = 24(x y). Dividing both
sides by x y (since x y is nonzero) yields x + y = 24. So I have $6 worth
of quarters.

3. The area bounded by the graph of the function y = |x| and by the line y = c
is 5. What is c equal to?

(A) 5 (B) 2 5 (C) 5 (D) 10 (E) 25
Solution: (A). The area bounded by the two graphs is a triangle with base
2
2c and height c. Thus its area is c = 5 hence c = 5.
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

y=c
y = |x|

4. In the Carolina Cash 5 game, you have to select five different numbers from 1
to 39. You win some prize if two or more of your five chosen numbers match
the five numbers drawn (order does not matter). What is the probability that
you win some prize in a single drawing? Round your answer to the nearest
percent.
(A) (7%) (B) (8%) (C) (9%) (D) (11%) (E) (12%)
Solution: (D). There are 39


5
ways to draw five numbers altogether. You do
not win if the set of five numbers drawn
is disjoint of our selection or matches
exactly one number. There are 34 ways to select a disjoint set and 5 34


5 4
ways to draw five numbers that match exactly one of our numbers. Here 5 is
34


the number of ways to select the matching number, and 4 is the number of
ways to select four numbers that do not match our selection. The probability
that we do not win is
34 34



5
+ 5 278, 256 + 231, 880
39

4 = 0.89.
5
575, 757

Thus the probability of winning is 1 0.89 = 0.11, that is, 11%.

5. Let a and b be the two roots of the equation x2 + 3x 3 = 0. Evaluate the

value a2 + b2 .
(A) 4 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 15
Solution: (E). Since a + b = 3 and ab = 3 so we have a2 + b2 = (a + b)2
2ab = (3)2 2 (3) = 15.

6. One sphere is inscribed in a cube, while the cube is also inscribed in another
sphere. Find the ratio of the volumes of the larger sphere to the smaller sphere.

2
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

(A) 3 (B) 2 3 (C) 3 3 (D) 3 2 (E) none of these
Solution: (C). The inscribed sphere has a radius r and V = (4/3)r3 , while
the circumscribed sphere has the radius which goes to the vertex of the cube.
Clearly the inscribed radius r is half the edge of the cube, so that one cube
vertex has coordinate (r, r, r)if the center of the
spheres were the origin. The
is thus r2 + r2
circumscribed radius + r2 = r 3. The circumscribed
volume
3 3
is then V = (4/3)(r 3) = (4/3)(3 3)r . The ratio is thus 3 3.

7. Let ABC be an equilateral triangle with an inscribed circle of radius 1, find

the length of AB.

(A) 2 (B) 2 2 (C) 3 (D) 2 3 (E) 3 3
Solution: (D). Let O be the center of the circle and M be the intersection

point of the circle
with AB. Then OAM
6
= 30 with OM = 1 hence OA = 2.
Thus OM = 3 and AB = 2OM = 2 3.

8. Determine the sum of the y-coordinates of the three intersection points of

y = x2 x 5 and y = 5/x.
(A) 5 (B) 3 (C) 0 (D) 3 (E) 5
Solution:
(A). Setting both equations equal to each other you get x =1,
x = 5. It follows that the corresponding y-coordinates are 5 and 5
so the sum of the three y-coordinates is 5.

9. Consider a five-digit integer of the form a11bc (with a 1). It is known that
it is divisible by 45. How many such numbers exist?
(A) 21 (B) 20 (C) 19 (D) 18 (E) 10.
Solution: (B). c can be either 0 or 5 and a + b + c + 2 is divisible by 9. Two
cases:
a) c = 0 and a + b + 2 is divisible by 9, so a + b = 16 (3 cases: (7, 9), (8, 8),
(9, 7)) or a + b = 7 (7 cases: (1, 6), (2, 5), ..., (7, 0)). b) c = 5 and a + b + 7 is
divisible by 9, so a + b = 11 (8 cases: (2, 9), (3, 8), ..., (9, 2)) or a + b = 2 (2
cases: (2, 0) and (1, 1)). Thus the answer is 3 + 7 + 8 + 2 = 20.

10. Consider a general convex 7-gon with vertices A1 , A2 , ..., A7 (marked in the
order as they appear on the polygon). Connecting the first vertex A1 with the
third vertex A3 , the second vertex A2 with the fourth vertex A4 , and so on,

3
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

we get a star as shown in the figure below with the vertices A1 , A2 , ..., A7 .
Find the sum of the angles 6 A1 to 6 A7 .
(A) 360 (B) 480 (C) 540 (D) 600 (E) 620

A1
A7
A2

A6 A3

A5
A4

Solution: (C). For a triangle 4XY Z, the sum of the angles with vertices at X
and Y is equal to the exterior angle at Z. Since 26 X+6 Y +6 Z = 6 X+180 , the
sum of the exterior angles at Y and Z is equal to 180 plus 6 X. Thus the sum
of the angles at A1 through A7 is twice the angle sum of the interior heptagon
minus 7 180 . For the heptagon the angle sum is 7 180 360 = 5 180 .
So the desired sum is 10 180 7 180 = 540 .

11. After a ship wreck, a surviving mouse finds himself on an uninhabited island
with one kilogram of cheese and no other food. On the 1st day, he eats 1/4 of
the cheese, on the 2nd, 1/9 of the remaining cheese, on the 3rd, 1/16 of the
remainder, and so on. Let M be the total amount of cheese (measured in kilo-
grams) consumed during the first 6 weeks. Which of the following statements
is true?
(A) 0.4878 < M 0.4881 (B) 0.4881 < M 0.4884
(C) 0.4884 < M 0.4887 (D) 0.4887 < M 0.4890
(E) 0.4890 < M 0.4893
Solution: (B). The initial amount of cheese is 1kg; since on the kth day the
1
mouse eats (k+1)2 of the remaining cheese, the amount remaining after n days

is
       
1 1 1 1 1 1
1 2 1 2 1 2 ... 1 1 2 1
2 3 4 (n 1)2 n (n + 1)2

4
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

13 24 35 (n 2) n (n 1) (n + 1) n (n + 2)
= ...
22 33 44 (n 1) (n 1) nn (n + 1) (n + 1)
1 n+2
= ,
2 n+1
so that the consumed amount is
1 n+2 1 n
1 = .
2 n+1 2 n+1
For n = 42, this is
1 42
0.48837.
2 43
12. Two adjacent sides of the unit square and two sides of an equilateral triangle
bisect each other. Find the area of the equilateral triangle.

(A) 3/2 (B) 1 (C) 0.8 (D) 2 (E) 2/2

Solution: (A). Let M and N be the two points where the two sides of the
unit square and two sides of an equilateral
triangle bisect each other. Their
2
distance from each other is |M N | = 2 . Hence the side of the equilateral

triangle is a = 2. Its area is 4 a = 23 .
3 2

13. Let C be a circle that intersects each of the circles (x + 2)2 + y 2 = 22 , (x

4)2 + (y 2)2 = 22 and (x 4)2 + (y + 2)2 = 22 in exactly one point and does
not contain any of these circles inside it. If the radius r of C is of the form
r = p/q where p and q are relatively prime integers, what is p + q?
(A) 5 (B) 7 (C) 9 (D) 11 (E) 13

5
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

Solution: (B). The center of C is of the form (r, 0) by symmetry. Finding

its distances to the center (4, 2) of (x 4)2 + (y 2)2 = 22 and to the center
(2, 0) of (x + 2)2 + y 2 = 22 lead to (r + 2)2 = (r 4)2 + (0 2)2 . Solving for
r, we get r = 34 .

14. Three crazy painters painted the floor in three different colors. One painted
75% of the floor in red on Monday, the second painted 70% of the floor in green
on Tuesday, and the third painted 65% of the floor in blue on Wednesday. At
least what percent of the floor must be painted in all the three colors?
(A) 10% (B) 25% (C) 30% (D) 35% (E) 65%
Solution: (A). 25% of the floor is NOT painted in red. 30% of the floor is NOT
painted in green. 35% of the floor is NOT painted in blue. 25%+30%+35% =
90% That means at least 10% are not painted in the three color. One can show
that such coloring exists.

15. After each mile on a highway from Charlotte (CLT) to the City of Mathematics
Students (CMS) there is a two sided distance marker. One side of the marker
shows the distance from CLT while the opposite side shows the distance to
CMS. A curious student noticed that the sum of the digits from the two sides
of each marker stays a constant 13. Find the distance d between the cities.
(A) 10 d < 20 (B) 20 d < 30 (C) 30 d < 40 (D) 40 d < 50
(E) 50 d < 60
Solution: (D). The distance cannot exceed 49 miles since otherwise the
marker at 49 miles will have 49 on one side and a positive number on the
other side and the sum of the digits would be greater than 13. Now look at
the markers at one mile and ten miles. On the other side of these markers,
we must have one of the numbers 48 and 39. Thus the first one must be 48
and the second one 39. Thus, the distance can only be 49 miles. On the other
hand, one can check that the distance 49 does give a solution.

16. Consider the sum 12 + 22 + + 20122 . What is its last digit?

(A) 6 (B) 5 (C) 3 (D) 1 (E) 0
Solution: (E). Using the formula 12 + 22 + + n2 = n(n+1)(2n+1)6
, we have
2 2 2 201220134025
1 + 2 + + 2012 = 6
= 1006 671 4025 0 (mod 10). So the last
digit is 0. Alternatively, using mod(10) relation, 12 + 22 + 32 + + 102 5
mod(10) and this repeats for every 10 consecutive integers, 2012 = 20110+2,

6
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

20012 1 mod(10) and 20122 4 mod(10) so 12 + 22 + + 20122 201

5 + 1 + 4 0 mod(10).

17. Infinitely many empty boxes, each capable of holding six dots are lined up from
right to left. Each minute a new dot appears in the rightmost box. Whenever
six dots appear in the same box, they fuse together to form one dot in the next
box to the left. How many dots are there after 2012 minutes? For example,
after seven minutes we have just two dots, one in the rightmost box and one
in the next box over.
(A) 8 (B) 9 (C) 10 (D) 11 (E) 12
Solution: (E). This is just base 6 enumeration in disguise. The base 6 rep-
resentation of 2012 is 13152, so there are 1 + 3 + 1 + 5 + 2 = 12 dots in the
boxes after 2012 minutes.

18. Consider the Fibonacci sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 . . . where each term, after
the first two, is the sum of the two previous terms. How many of the first 1000
terms are divisible by 3?
(A) 200 (B) 250 (C) 299 (D) 300 (E) 333
Solution: (B). Consider the sequence in terms of its remainders when divided
by 3, one gets a repeating cycle of length 8: 1, 1, 2, 0, 2, 2, 1, 0, . . .. That is,
every fourth of the numbers in the sequence is divisible by 3. Thus the answer
is 1000/4 = 250.

19. The points A, B, C and D are the vertices of a unit square. How many squares
(including ABCD itself) in the same plane have two or more of these points
as vertices?
(A) 13 (B) 12 (C) 9 (D) 5 (E) 4
Solution: (A). There are squares of three sizes. There are 4 of area 1/2, 5 of
area 1 and 4 of area 2.

20. Three fair (six sided) dice are colored green, red and yellow respectively. Each
die is rolled once. Let g, r and y be the resulting values of the green, red and
yellow dice respectively. What is the probability that g r y?
5 6 87 5
(A) 27
(B) 27
(C)
(D) 27
27
(E) 18
Solution: (C). There are 83 = 56 successful outcomes, so the probability is


56 7
63
= 27 .

7
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

x  2x 
21. For how many real numbers x is it true that 2
+ 3
= x (where byc is the
greatest integer n such that n y)?
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 5
Solution: (D). x has to be an integer since the left side is an integer. It is
easy to see that if x 1 or x 6 the equality does not hold. On the other
hand 2, 3, 4 and 5 work.

22. A person is given a square-shaped pizza and a knife. He cuts the pizza with
40 straight cuts into as many pieces as possible. Denote the resulting number
of pieces by N . Which of the following statements is true?
(A) 831 N 840 (B) 821 N 830 (C) 811 N 820
(D) 801 N 810 (E) 791 N 800
Solution: (B). We first assume that the pizza occupies the entire plane. De-
note the number of pieces after k cuts by Nk . We have N0 = 1 and N1 = 2.
Furthermore, N2 = 4, unless the 2nd cut is parallel to the 1st, in which case
N2 < 4. In general, Nk = Nk1 + k if the kth cut intersects the first k 1 cuts
at k 1 distinct points; otherwise, the difference Nk Nk1 will be smaller
than k. Therefore, the largest possible value of Nk (which is attained if no
cuts are parallel and no more than 2 cuts pass through a single point) is
1 + 1 + 2 + 3 + . . . + k = 1 + k(k+1)
2
. For k = 40, this is 821.
This result is true if the pizza occupies the entire plane. For a bounded square-
shaped pizza, the number of pieces cannot be more than 821. (Indeed, any 40
cuts of the square can be continued to the plane, thus generating a partition
of the plane into no more than 821 pieces, as we know; each of them, being
intersected with the square, produces no more than one piece of the square.
But this is the original partition of the square.) On the other hand, if we scale
the above maximal partition of the plane so that each piece intersects the
square, we get a partition of the square into 821 pieces.

23. Find the smallest five-digit integer such that the product of its digits is 2520.
The sum of its digits is
(A) 25 (B) 26 (C) 27 (D) 29 (E) 30
Solution: (E). The smallest such integer is 15789 by looking at the prime
factorization of 2250. So the answer is 30.

24. If a convex n-gon has no adjacent obtuse angles then n is at most

8
UNC Charlotte 2012 Comprehensive

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

Solution: (C). Let 1 , 2 , . . . , n be the angles of the n-gon. We distinguish
two cases, depending on the parity of n. Assume first n is even. By the stated
condition 1 + 2 < 270 , 3 + 4 < 270 , . . . , n1 + n < 270 . Thus the
sum of the angles is less than n/2 270 = n 135 . On the other hand, the
sum of the angles of a convex n-gon is (n 2) 180 . We obtain the inequality
(n 2) 180 < n 135,
the solution of which is n < 8. Since n is even, this implies n 6.
Assume n is odd. We may assume that n is not an obtuse angle, thus n
90 . Similarly to the previous case, we have 1 + 2 < 270 , 3 + 4 <
270 , . . . , n2 + n1 < 270 . Thus the sum of the angles is less than
(n 1)/2 270 + 90 = n 135 45 . (The inequality is strict, since n 3.)
We obtain the inequality
(n 2) 180 < n 135 45,
the solution of which is n < 7. Since n is odd, this gives n 5.
Comparing the two cases we see that n can not exceed 6. There is a hexagon
with the required properties, for example, we may choose 1 = 3 = 5 = 90
and 2 = 4 = 6 = 150 .
25. You are in a large room with 50 ceiling lights (numbered from 1 to 50) that
are changed from on to off or off to on by pulling a cord hanging from each
light. Initially, all the lights are off. You begin by pulling the cord on every
light (now they are all on). Then you pull the cord on light 2, 4, ..., 50. After
you finish that, you pull the cord on light 3, 6, ..., 48. You repeat this with
every fourth light, every fifth light, etc. until you pull the cord for every 50th
light (only number 50, of course). How many lights are on at the end?
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 5 (E) 7
Solution: (E). Lights numbered 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, and 49 are on. A cord must
be pulled an odd number of times for the light to be on. Consider light number
x and factor x as a product of primes. There are 15 primes (2, 3, 5, ..., 47) that
are less than 50. So x = 2a1 3a2 47a15 . There are (a1 + 1)(a2 + 1)(a15 + 1)
factors of this number. The cord is pulled once for each factor. Since we need
an odd number of pulls for the light to be on, a1 , a2 , , a15 must all be even,
hence x is a perfect square.