The MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

American Mathematics Competitions

57th Annual American Mathematics Contest 12

AMC 12 – Contest B

Solutions Pamphlet
Wednesday, February 15, 2006

This Pamphlet gives at least one solution for each problem on this year’s contest and
shows that all problems can be solved without the use of a calculator. When more than
one solution is provided, this is done to illustrate a significant contrast in methods, e.g.,
algebraic vs geometric, computational vs conceptual, elementary vs advanced. These solu-
tions are by no means the only ones possible, nor are they superior to others the reader
may devise.
We hope that teachers will inform their students about these solutions, both as illustrations
of the kinds of ingenuity needed to solve nonroutine problems and as examples of good
mathematical exposition. However, the publication, reproduction or communication of the
problems or solutions of the AMC 12 during the period when students are eligible to participate
seriously jeopardizes the integrity of the results. Dissemination at any time via copier, telephone,
email, the World Wide Web or media of any type is a violation of the competition rules
Correspondence about the problems and solutions for this AMC 12 and orders
for any of the publications listed below should be addressed to:

American Mathematics Competitions

University of Nebraska, P.O. Box 81606
Lincoln, NE 68501-1606
Phone: 402-472-2257; Fax: 402-472-6087; email: amcinfo@unl.edu

The problems and solutions for this AMC 12 were prepared by the MAA’s Committee on the
AMC 10 and AMC 12 under the direction of AMC 12 Subcommittee Chair:

Prof. David Wells, Department of Mathematics

Penn State University, New Kensington, PA 15068

Copyright © 2006, The Mathematical Association of America

 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 2

1. (C) Because (
k 1, if k is even,
(−1) =
−1, if k is odd,
the sum can be written as

(−1 + 1) + (−1 + 1) + · · · + (−1 + 1) = 0 + 0 + · · · + 0 = 0.

2. (A) Because 4 ♠ 5 = (4 + 5)(4 − 5) = −9, it follows that

3 ♠ (4 ♠ 5) = 3 ♠ (−9) = (3 + (−9))(3 − (−9)) = (−6)(12) = −72.

3. (A) Let c and p represent the number of points scored by the Cougars and the
Panthers, respectively. The two teams scored a total of 34 points, so c + p = 34.
The Cougars won by 14 points, so c − p = 14. The solution is c = 24 and p = 10,
so the Panthers scored 10 points.
4. (A) The five items cost approximately 8 + 5 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 19 dollars, so Mary’s
change is about $1.00, which is 5 percent of her $20.00.
5. (A) In order to catch up to John, Bob must walk 1 mile farther in the same
amount of time. Because Bob’s speed exceeds John’s speed by 5 − 3 = 2 miles
per hour, the time required for Bob to catch up to John is 1/2 hour, or 30
minutes.
6. (B) Francesca’s 600 grams of lemonade contains 25 + 386 = 411 calories, so 200
grams of her lemonade contains 411/3 = 137 calories.

7. (B) There are only two possible occupants for the driver’s seat. After the driver
is chosen, any of the remaining three people can sit in the front, and there are
two arrangements for the other two people in the back. Thus there are 2·3·2 = 12
possible seating arrangements.
 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 3

8. (E) Substituting x = 1 and y = 2 into the equations gives

2 1
1= + a and 2= + b.
4 4
It follows that
µ ¶ µ ¶
2 1 3 9
a+b= 1− + 2− =3− = .
4 4 4 4

OR
Because
y x 3
a=x− and b=y− , we have a + b = (x + y).
4 4 4
Since x = 1 when y = 2, this implies that a + b = 34 (1 + 2) = 94 .

9. (B) Let the integer have digits a, b, and c, read left to right. Because 1 ≤ a <
b < c, none of the digits can be zero and c cannot be 2. If c = 4, then¡ a¢ and
b must each be chosen from the digits 1, 2, and 3. Therefore there are 32 = 3
choices for a and b, and for each choice there¡ is
¢ one acceptable
¡ ¢ order. Similarly,
for c = 6 and c = 8 there are, respectively, 52 = 10 and 72 = 21 choices for a
and b. Thus there are altogether 3 + 10 + 21 = 34 such integers.
10. (A) The sides of the triangle are x, 3x, and 15 for some positive integer x. By
the Triangle Inequality, these three numbers are the sides of a triangle if and
only if x + 3x > 15 and x + 15 > 3x. Because x is an integer, the first inequality
is equivalent to x ≥ 4, and the second inequality is equivalent to x ≤ 7. Thus
the greatest possible perimeter is 7 + 21 + 15 = 43.
11. (E) Joe has 2 ounces of cream in his cup. JoAnn has drunk 2 ounces of the 14
ounces of coffee-cream mixture in her cup, so she has only 12/14 = 6/7 of her 2
ounces of cream in her cup. Therefore the ratio of the amount of cream in Joe’s
coffee to that in JoAnn’s coffee is
2 7
6 = .
7 ·2 6

12. (D) A parabola with the given equation and with vertex (p, p) must have equa-
tion y = a(x − p)2 + p. Because the y-intercept is (0, −p) and p 6= 0, it follows
that a = −2/p. Thus
2 2
y = − (x2 − 2px + p2 ) + p = − x2 + 4x − p,
p p
so b = 4.
 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 4

13. (C) Since ∠BAD = 60◦ , isosceles 4BAD is also equilateral. As a consequence,
4AEB, 4AED, 4BED, 4BF D, 4BF C, and 4CF D are congruent. These
six triangles have equal areas and their union forms rhombus ABCD, so each
has area 24/6 = 4. Rhombus BF DE is the union of 4BED and 4BF D, so
its area is 8.

D C
F
E

A B
OR

Let the diagonals of rhombus ABCD intersect at O. Since the diagonals of a

◦
rhombus
√ intersect at right angles, 4ABO is a 30 – 60 – 90 triangle. Therefore
AO = 3 · BO. Because AO and BO are half the length of the longer diagonals
of rhombi ABCD and BF DE, respectively, it follows that
µ ¶2
Area(BF DE) BO 1
= = .
Area(ABCD) AO 3

Thus the area of rhombus BF DE is (1/3)(24) = 8.

D C
F
O
E
A B
14. (D) The total cost of the peanut butter and jam is N (4B + 5J) = 253 cents, so
N and 4B + 5J are factors of 253 = 11 · 23. Because N > 1, the possible values
of N are 11, 23, and 253. If N = 253, then 4B + 5J = 1, which is impossible
since B and J are positive integers. If N = 23, then 4B + 5J = 11, which also
has no solutions in positive integers. Hence N = 11 and 4B + 5J = 23, which
has the unique positive integer solution B = 2 and J = 3. So the cost of the
jam is 11(3)(5¢) = $1.65.
 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 5

15. (B) Through O draw a line parallel to AD intersecting P D at F .

A 2
F
2 2
6
O P

B
C

Then AOF D√is a rectangle and OP F is a right triangle.

√ Thus DF = 2, F P = 2,
and OF = 4 2. The √ area of
√ trapezoid AOP D is 12 2, and the area of hexagon
AOBCP D is 2 · 12 2 = 24 2.
OR
Lines AD, BC, and OP intersect at a common point H.

D
A 4
2
6
H O P

B
C

Because ∠P DH = ∠OAH = 90◦ , triangles P DH and OAH are similar with

ratio of similarity
√ 2. Thus 2HO
√ = HP = HO + OP = HO + 6, so HO √= 6
and AH = HO 2 − OA2 = 4 2. Hence the area of 4OAH is (1/2)(2)(4 2) =
√ √ √
4 2, and the area of 4P DH is (22 )(4 2) = 16 2. The area of the hexagon
√ is
twice the area of 4P DH minus twice the area of 4OAH, so it is 24 2.

16. (C) Diagonals AC, CE, EA, AD, CF , and EB divide the hexagon into twelve
congruent 30 – 60 – 90◦ triangles, six of which make up√equilateral 4ACE. Be-
√ √ ¡√ ¢2 √
cause AC = 72 + 12 = 50, the area of 4ACE is 43 50 = 25 3. The
¡ 25 √ ¢ √ 2
area of hexagon ABCDEF is 2 2 3 = 25 3.
OR
Let O be the center of the hexagon. Then triangles ABC, CDE, and EF A are
congruent to triangles AOC, COE, and EOA, respectively. Thus the area of
the hexagon is twice the area of equilateral 4ACE. Then proceed as in the first
solution.
 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 6

17. (C) On each die the probability of rolling k, for 1 ≤ k ≤ 6, is

k k
= .
1+2+3+4+5+6 21
There are six ways of rolling a total of 7 on the two dice, represented by the
ordered pairs (1, 6), (2, 5), (3, 4), (4, 3), (5, 2), and (6, 1). Thus the probability
of rolling a total of 7 is
1·6+2·5+3·4+4·3+5·2+6·1 56 8
2
= 2 = .
21 21 63

18. (B) Each step changes either the x-coordinate or the y-coordinate of the object
by 1. Thus if the object’s final point is (a, b), then a+b is even and |a|+|b| ≤ 10.
Conversely, suppose that (a, b) is a lattice point with |a| + |b| = 2k ≤ 10. One
ten-step path that ends at (a, b) begins with |a| horizontal steps, to the right if
a ≥ 0 and to the left if a < 0. It continues with |b| vertical steps, up if b ≥ 0
and down if b < 0. It has then reached (a, b) in 2k steps, so it can finish with
5 − k steps up and 5 − k steps down. Thus the possible final points are the
lattice points that have even coordinate sums and lie on or inside the square
with vertices (±10, 0) and (0, ±10). There are 11 such points on each of the 11
lines x + y = 2k, −5 ≤ k ≤ 5, for a total of 121 different points.
19. (B) The 4-digit number on the license plate has the form aabb or abab or baab,
where a and b are distinct integers from 0 to 9. Because Mr. Jones has a child
of age 9, the number on the license plate is divisible by 9. Hence the sum of the
digits, 2(a + b), is also divisible by 9. Because of the restriction on the digits a
and b, this implies that a + b = 9. Moreover, since Mr. Jones must have either
a 4-year-old or an 8-year-old, the license plate number is divisible by 4. These
conditions narrow the possibilities for the number to 1188, 2772, 3636, 5544,
6336, 7272, and 9900. The last two digits of 9900 could not yield Mr. Jones’s
age, and none of the others is divisible by 5, so he does not have a 5-year-old.
Note that 5544 is divisible by each of the other eight non-zero digits.

20. (C) The given condition is equivalent to blog10 xc = blog10 4xc. Thus the con-
dition holds if and only if

n ≤ log10 x < log10 4x < n + 1

for some negative integer n. Equivalently,

10n ≤ x < 4x < 10n+1 .

This inequality is true if and only if

10n+1
10n ≤ x < .
4
 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 7
£ n n+1 ¢
Hence in each interval 10 , 10 , the given condition holds with probability
¡ n+1 ¢
10 /4 − 10n 10n ((10/4) − 1) 1
n+1 n
= n
= .
10 − 10 10 (10 − 1) 6
£ ¢
Because each number in (0, 1) belongs to a unique interval 10n , 10n+1 and the
probability is the same on each interval, the required probability is also 1/6.
21. (C) Let 2a and 2b, respectively, be the lengths of the major and minor axes of
the ellipse, and let the dimensions of the rectangle be x and y. Then x + y is
the sum of the distances from the foci to point A on the ellipse, which is 2a.
The length of a diagonal
√ of the rectangle is the distance between the foci of the
ellipse, which is 2 a2 − b2 . Thus x + y = 2a and x2 + y 2 = 4a2 − 4b2 . The area
of the rectangle is
1£ ¤ 1£ ¤
2006 = xy = (x + y)2 − (x2 + y 2 ) = (2a)2 − (4a2 − 4b2 ) = 2b2 ,
2 2
√
so b = 1003. Thus the area of the ellipse is
√
2006π = πab = πa 1003,
√ √
so a = 2 1003, and the perimeter of the rectangle is 2(x + y) = 4a = 8 1003.
22. (B) Note that n is the number of factors of 5 in the product a!b!c!, and 2006 < 55 .
Thus
4
X ¡ ¢
n= ba/5k c + bb/5k c + bc/5k c .
k=1

Because bxc + byc + bzc ≥ bx + y + zc − 2 for all real numbers x, y, and z, it

follows that
4
X ¡ ¢
n≥ b(a + b + c)/5k c − 2
k=1
4
X ¡ ¢
= b2006/5k c − 2
k=1
= 401 + 80 + 16 + 3 − 4 · 2 = 492.

The minimum value of 492 is achieved, for example, when a = b = 624 and
c = 758.
23. (E) Let D, E, and F be the reflections of P about AB, BC, and CA, respec-
tively. Then ∠F AD = ∠DBE = 90◦ , and ∠ECF = 180◦ . Thus the area of
pentagon ADBEF is twice that of 4ABC, so it is s2 .
 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 8

B
D

C A

F
√ √ √
Observe that DE = 7 2, EF √ = 12, and F D = 11 2. Furthermore, (7 2)2 +
122 = 98 + 144 = 242 = (11 2)2 , so 4DEF is a right triangle. Thus the
pentagon can be tiled with three right triangles, two of which are isosceles, as
shown.
B 7
D
7
E 7√2 11
11√2
12 A
11
F
It follows that
1 1 √ √
s2 = · (72 + 112 ) + · 12 · 7 2 = 85 + 42 2,
2 2
so a + b = 127.
OR
Rotate 4ABC 90◦ counterclockwise about C, and let B 0 and P 0 be the images
of B and P , respectively.
B

P
P'

B' C A

Then CP 0 = CP = 6, and ∠P CP 0 = 90◦ , so 4P CP 0 is an isosceles right

√ ¡ √ ¢2
triangle. Thus P P 0 = 6 2, and BP 0 = AP = 11. Because 6 2 + 72 = 112 ,
the converse of the Pythagorean Theorem implies that ∠BP P 0 = 90◦ . Hence
∠BP C = 135◦ . Applying the Law of Cosines in 4BP C gives
√
BC 2 = 62 + 72 − 2 · 6 · 7 cos 135◦ = 85 + 42 2,
 Solutions 2006 57th AMC 12 B 9

and a + b = 127.
24. (C) For a fixed value of y, the values of sin x for which sin2 x−sin x sin y+sin2 y =
3
4 can be determined by the quadratic formula. Namely,
q
√
sin y ± sin2 y − 4(sin2 y − 43 ) 1 3
sin x = = sin y ± cos y.
2 2 2
¡ ¢ ¡ ¢ √
Because cos π3 = 12 and sin π3 = 23 , this implies that
³π´ ³π ´ ³ π´
sin x = cos sin y ± sin cos y = sin y ± .
3 3 3
Within S, sin x = sin(y − π3 ) implies x = y − π3 . However, the case sin x =
sin(y + π3 ) implies x = y + π3 when y ≤ π6 , and x = −y + 2π π
3 when y ≥ 6 . Those
three lines divide the region S into four subregions, within each of which the
truth value of the inequality is constant. Testing the points (0, 0), ( π2 , 0), (0, π2 ),
and ( π2 , π2 ) shows that the inequality is true only in the shaded subregion. The
area of this subregion is
³ π ´2 1 ³ π ´2 1 ³ π ´2 π2
− · −2· · = .
2 2 3 2 6 6

x = y+ 23π π
x=y 3
( π2 , π2 )
(0, π2 )

x = y+ π3

(0,0) ( π2 ,0)

25. (B) The condition an+2 = |an+1 − an | implies that an and an+3 have the same
parity for all n ≥ 1. Because a2006 is odd, a2 is also odd. Because a2006 = 1
and an is a multiple of gcd(a1 , a2 ) for all n, it follows that 1 = gcd(a1 , a2 ) =
gcd(33 · 37, a2 ). There are 499 odd integers in the interval [1, 998], of which 166
are multiples of 3, 13 are multiples of 37, and 4 are multiples of 3 · 37 = 111. By
the Inclusion-Exclusion Principle, the number of possible values of a2 cannot
exceed 499 − 166 − 13 + 4 = 324.
To see that there are actually 324 possibilities, note that for n ≥ 3, an <
max(an−2 , an−1 ) whenever an−2 and an−1 are both positive. Thus aN = 0 for
some N ≤ 1999. If gcd(a1 , a2 ) = 1, then aN −2 = aN −1 = 1, and for n > N the
sequence cycles through the values 1, 1, 0. If in addition a2 is odd, then a3k+2
is odd for k ≥ 1, so a2006 = 1.
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