The MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION of AMERICA

American Mathematics Competitions

58th Annual American Mathematics Contest 12

AMC 12
Contest B
Solutions Pamphlet
Wednesday, FEBRUARY 21, 2007
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 via copier, telephone, e-mail, World
Wide Web or media of any type during this period is a violation of the competition rules.
After the contest period, permission to make copies of individual problems in paper or electronic form including posting
on web-pages for educational use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or
commercial advantage and that copies bear the copyright notice.
Correspondence about the problems/solutions for this AMC 12 and orders for any publications 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 © 2007, The Mathematical Association of America

 Solutions 2007 58th AMC 12 B 2

1. Answer (E): The perimeter of each bedroom is 2(12 + 10) = 44 feet, so the
surface to be painted in each bedroom has an area of 44 · 8 − 60 = 292 square
feet. Since there are 3 bedrooms, Isabella must paint 3 · 292 = 876 square feet.

2. Answer (B): The student used 120/30 = 4 gallons on the trip home and
120/20 = 6 gallons on the trip back to school. So the average gas mileage for
the round trip was
240 miles
= 24 miles per gallon.
10 gallons

3. Answer (D): Since OA = OB = OC, triangles AOB, BOC, and COA are
all isosceles. Hence
180◦ − 140◦ 180◦ − 120◦
∠ABC = ∠ABO + ∠OBC = + = 50◦ .
2 2

OR
Since
∠AOC = 360◦ − 140◦ − 120◦ = 100◦ ,
the Central Angle Theorem implies that
1
∠ABC = ∠AOC = 50◦ .
2

4. Answer (B): Because 3 bananas cost as much as 2 apples, 18 bananas cost

as much as 12 apples. Because 6 apples cost as much as 4 oranges, 12 apples
cost as much as 8 oranges. Therefore 18 bananas cost as much as 8 oranges.

5. Answer (D): Sarah will receive 4.5 points for the three questions she leaves
unanswered, so she must earn at least 100 − 4.5 = 95.5 points on the first 22
problems. Because
95.5
15 < < 16,
6
she must solve at least 16 of the first 22 problems correctly. This would give her
a score of 100.5.

6. Answer (D): The perimeter of the triangle is 5 + 6 + 7 = 18, so the distance

that each bug crawls is 9. Therefore AB + BD = 9, and BD = 4.
 Solutions 2007 58th AMC 12 B 3

7. Answer (E): Because AB = BC = EA and ∠A = ∠B = 90◦ , quadrilateral

ABCE is a square, so ∠AEC = 90◦ .
A B

E C

D
Also CD = DE = EC, so 4CDE is equilateral and ∠CED = 60◦ . Therefore
∠E = ∠AEC + ∠CED = 90◦ + 60◦ = 150◦ .

8. Answer (D): Tom’s age N years ago was T − N . The sum of his three
children’s ages at that time was T − 3N . Therefore T − N = 2(T − 3N ), so
5N = T and T /N = 5. The conditions of the problem can be met, for example,
if Tom’s age is 30 and the ages of his children are 9, 10, and 11. In that case
T = 30 and N = 6.

9. Answer (A): Let u = 3x − 1. Then x = (u + 1)/3, and

µ ¶2
u+1 u+1 u2 + 2u + 1 u + 1 u2 + 5u + 13
f (u) = + +1= + +1= .
3 3 9 3 9
In particular,
52 + 5 · 5 + 13 63
f (5) = = = 7.
9 9
OR
The value of 3x − 1 is 5 when x = 2. Thus
f (5) = f (3 · 2 − 1) = 22 + 2 + 1 = 7.

10. Answer (C): Let g be the number of girls and b the number of boys initially
in the group. Then g = 0.4(g + b). After two girls leave and two boys arrive,
the size of the entire group is unchanged, so g − 2 = 0.3(g + b). The solution of
the system of equations
g = 0.4(g + b) and g − 2 = 0.3(g + b)
is g = 8 and b = 12, so there were initially 8 girls.
OR
After two girls leave and two boys arrive, the size of the group is unchanged. So
the two girls who left represent 40% − 30% = 10% of the group. Thus the size
of the group is 20, and the original number of girls was 40% of 20, or 8.
 Solutions 2007 58th AMC 12 B 4

11. Answer (D): Let x be the degree measure of ∠A. Then the degree measures
of angles B, C, and D are x/2, x/3, and x/4, respectively. The degree measures
of the four angles have a sum of 360, so
x x x 25x
360 = x + + + = .
2 3 4 12
Thus x = (12 · 360)/25 = 172.8 ≈ 173.

12. Answer (C): Let N be the number of students in the class. Then there are
0.1N juniors and 0.9N seniors. Let s be the score of each junior. The scores
totaled 84N = 83(0.9N ) + s(0.1N ), so

84N − 83(0.9N )
s= = 93.
0.1N

Note: In this problem, we could assume that the class has one junior and nine
seniors. Then

9 · 83 + s = 10 · 84 = 9 · 84 + 84 and s = 9(84 − 83) + 84 = 93.

13. Answer (D): The light completes a cycle every 63 seconds. Leah sees the
color change if and only if she begins to look within three seconds before the
change from green to yellow, from yellow to red, or from red to green. Thus she
sees the color change with probability (3 + 3 + 3)/63 = 1/7.

14. Answer (D): Let the side length of 4ABC be s. Then the areas of 4AP B,
4BP C, and 4CP A are, respectively, s/2, s, and 3s/2. The area of 4ABC is
the
√ sum of these, which
√ is 3s. The area of 4ABC may also be expressed
√ as
( 3/4)s2 , so 3s = ( 3/4)s2 . The unique positive solution for s is 4 3.

15. Answer (E): The terms involving odd powers of r form the geometric series
ar + ar3 + ar5 + · · · . Thus
a
7 = a + ar + ar2 + · · · = ,
1−r
and
ar a r 7r
3 = ar + ar3 + ar5 + · · · = = · = .
1 − r2 1−r 1+r 1+r
Therefore r = 3/4. It follows that a/(1/4) = 7, so a = 7/4 and
7 3 5
a+r = + = .
4 4 2

OR
 Solutions 2007 58th AMC 12 B 5

The sum of the terms involving even powers of r is 7 − 3 = 4. Therefore

3 = ar + ar3 + ar5 + · · · = r(a + ar2 + ar4 + · · · ) = 4r,

so r = 3/4. As in the first solution, a = 7/4 and a + r = 5/2.

16. Answer (A): Let r, w, and b be the number of red, white, and blue faces,
respectively. Then (r, w, b) is one of 15 possible ordered triples, namely one of the
three permutations of (4, 0, 0), (2, 2, 0), or (2, 1, 1), or one of the six permutations
of (3, 1, 0). The number of distinguishable colorings for each of these ordered
triples is the same as for any of its permutations. If (r, w, b) = (4, 0, 0), then
exactly one coloring is possible. If (r, w, b) = (3, 1, 0), the tetrahedron can be
placed with the white face down. If (r, w, b) = (2, 2, 0), the tetrahedron can be
placed with one white face down and the other facing forward. If (r, w, b) =
(2, 1, 1), the tetrahedron can be placed with the white face down and the blue
face forward. Therefore there is only one coloring for each ordered triple, and
the total number of distinguishable colorings is 15.

17. Answer (D): Because b < 10b for all b > 0, it follows that log10 b < b. If
b ≥ 1, then 0 < (log10 b) /b2 < 1, so a cannot be an integer. Therefore 0 < b < 1,
so log10 b < 0 and a = (log10 b) /b2 < 0. Thus a < 0 < b < 1 < 1/b, and the
median of the set is b.
Note that the conditions of the problem can be met with b = 0.1 and a = −100.

18. Answer (C): Let N 2 be the smaller of the two squares. Then the difference
between the two squares is (N + 1)2 − N 2 = 2N + 1. The given conditions state
that
2N + 1 2(2N + 1)
100a + 10b + c = N 2 + and 100a + 10c + b = N 2 + .
3 3

Subtraction yields 9(c − b) = (2N + 1)/3, from which 27(c − b) = 2N + 1. If

c − b = 0 or 2, then N is not an integer. If c − b ≥ 3, then N ≥ 40, so N 2 is
not a three-digit integer. If c − b = 1, then N = 13. The numbers that are,
respectively, one third of the way and two thirds of the way from 132 to 142 are
178 and 187, so a + b + c = 1 + 7 + 8 = 16.

19. Answer (A): Let θ = ∠ABC. The base of the cylinder is a circle with
circumference 6, so the radius of the base is 6/(2π) = 3/π. The height of the
cylinder is the altitude of the rhombus, which is 6 sin θ. Thus the volume of the
cylinder is
µ ¶2
3 54
6=π (6 sin θ) = sin θ,
π π
so sin θ = π/9.
 Solutions 2007 58th AMC 12 B 6

20. Answer (D): Two vertices of the first parallelogram are at (0, c) and (0, d).
The x-coordinates of the other two vertices satisfy ax + c = bx + d and ax + d =
bx + c, so the x-coordinates are ±(c − d)/(b − a). Thus the parallelogram is
composed of two triangles, each of which has area
¯ ¯
1 ¯c − d¯
9 = · |c − d| · ¯¯ ¯.
2 b − a¯

It follows that (c − d)2 = 18|b − a|. By a similar argument using the second
parallelogram, (c + d)2 = 72|b − a|. Subtracting the first equation from the
second yields 4cd = 54|b − a|, so 2cd = 27|b − a|. Thus |b − a| is even, and
a + b is minimized when {a, b} = {1, 3}. Also, cd is a multiple of 27, and
c + d is minimized when {c, d} = {3, 9}. Hence the smallest possible value of
a + b + c + d is 1 + 3 + 3 + 9 = 16. Note that the required conditions are satisfied
when (a, b, c, d) = (1, 3, 3, 9).

21. Answer (A): Because 36 = 729 < 2007 < 2187 = 37 , it is convenient to begin
by counting the number of base-3 palindromes with at most 7 digits. There are
two palindromes of length 1, namely 1 and 2. There are also two palindromes
of length 2, namely 11 and 22. For n ≥ 1, each palindrome of length 2n + 1
is obtained by inserting one of the digits 0, 1, or 2 immediately after the nth
digit in a palindrome of length 2n. Each palindrome of length 2n + 2 is obtained
by similarly inserting one of the strings 00, 11, or 22. Therefore there are 6
palindromes of each of the lengths 3 and 4, 18 of each of the lengths 5 and 6,
and 54 of length 7. Because the base-3 representation of 2007 is 2202100, that
integer is less than each of the palindromes 2210122, 2211122, 2212122, 2220222,
2221222, and 2222222. Thus the required total is 2+2+6+6+18+18+54−6 =
100.

22. Answer (A): Imagine a third particle that moves in such a way that it is
always halfway between the first two. Let D, E, and F denote the midpoints
of BC, CA, and AB, respectively, and let X, Y , and Z denote the midpoints
of AD, BE, and CF , respectively. When the first particle is at A, the second
is at D and the third is at X. When the first particle is at F , the second is at
C and the third is at Z. Between those two instants, both coordinates of the
first two particles are linear functions of time. Because the average of two linear
functions is linear, the third particle traverses XZ. Similarly, the third particle
traverses ZY as the first traverses F B and the second traverses CE. Finally, as
the first particle traverses BD and the second traverses EA, the third traverses
Y X. As the first two particles return to A and D, respectively, the third makes
a second circuit of 4XY Z.
If O is the center of 4ABC, then by symmetry O is also the center of equilateral
4XY Z. Note that
2 1 1
OZ = OC − ZC = CF − CF = CF,
3 2 6
 Solutions 2007 58th AMC 12 B 7

so the ratio of the area of 4XY Z to that of 4ABC is

µ ¶2 µ1 ¶2
OZ 6 CF 1
= 2 = .
OC 3 CF
16

23. Answer (A): Let the triangle have leg lengths a and b, with a ≤ b. The given
condition implies that
1 ³ p ´
ab = 3 a + b + a2 + b2 ,
2
so p
ab − 6a − 6b = 6 a2 + b2 .
Squaring both sides and simplifying yields

ab (ab − 12a − 12b + 72) = 0,

from which
(a − 12)(b − 12) = 72.
The positive integer solutions of the last equation are (a, b) = (3, 4), (13, 84),
(14, 48), (15, 36), (16, 30), (18, 24), and (20, 21). However, the solution (3, 4) is
extraneous, and there are six right triangles with the required property.
Query: Why do the given conditions imply that the hypotenuse also has integer
length?

24. Answer (A): Let u = a/b. Then the problem is equivalent to finding all
positive rational numbers u such that
14
u+ =k
9u
for some integer k. This equation is equivalent to 9u2 − 9uk + 14 = 0, whose
solutions are √
9k ± 81k 2 − 504 k 1p 2
u= = ± 9k − 56.
18 2 6
√
Hence u is rational if and only if 9k 2 − 56 is rational, which is true if and only
if 9k 2 − 56 is a perfect square. Suppose that 9k 2 − 56 = s2 for some positive
integer s. Then (3k − s)(3k + s) = 56. The only factors of 56 are 1, 2, 4, 7,
8, 14, 28, and 56, so (3k − s, 3k + s) is one of the ordered pairs (1, 56), (2, 28),
(4, 14), or (7, 8). The cases (1, 56) and (7, 8) yield no integer solutions. The
cases (2, 28) and (4, 14) yield k = 5 and k = 3, respectively. If k = 5, then
u = 1/3 or u = 14/3. If k = 3, then u = 2/3 or u = 7/3. Therefore there
are four pairs (a, b) that satisfy the given conditions, namely (1, 3), (2, 3), (7, 3),
and (14, 3).
OR
 Solutions 2007 58th AMC 12 B 8

Rewrite the equation

a 14b
+ =k
b 9a
in two different forms. First, multiply both sides by b and subtract a to obtain

14b2
= bk − a.
9a
Because a, b, and k are integers, 14b2 must be a multiple of a, and because a
and b have no common factors greater than 1, it follows that 14 is divisible by
a. Next, multiply both sides of the original equation by 9a and subtract 14b to
obtain
9a2
= 9ak − 14b.
b
This shows that 9a2 is a multiple of b, so 9 must be divisible by b. Thus if (a, b)
is a solution, then b = 1, 3, or 9, and a = 1, 2, 7, or 14. This gives a total of
twelve possible solutions (a, b), each of which can be checked quickly. The only
such pairs for which
a 14b
+
b 9a
is an integer are when (a, b) is (1, 3), (2, 3), (7, 3), or (14, 3).

25. Answer (C): Introduce a coordinate system in which D = (−1, 0, 0), E =

(1, 0, 0), and 4ABC lies in a plane z = k > 0. Because ∠CDE and ∠DEA
are right angles, A and C are located on circles of radius 2 centered at E and
D in the planes x = 1 and x√ = −1, respectively. Thus A = (1, y1 , k) √ and
C = (−1, y2 , k), where yj = ± 4 − k 2 for j = 1 and 2. Because AC = 2 2, it
2 ¡ √ ¢2
follows that (1 − (−1))2 + (y1 − y2 ) = 2 2 . If y1 = y2 , there is no solution,
so y1 = −y2 . It may be assumed without loss of generality
√ that y1 > 0,√ in
which¡ case y1√= ¢1 and y2 = −1. It follows ¡that k √ = ¢ 3, ¡so A =√(1,
¢ 1, 3),
C = −1, −1, 3 , and B is one of the points 1, −1, 3 or −1, 1, 3 . In the
first case, BE = 2 and BE ⊥ DE. In the second case, BD = 2 and BD ⊥ DE.
In either case, the area of 4BDE is (1/2)(2)(2) = 2.
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