AoPS Community 1991 AMC 12/AHSME

AMC 12/AHSME 1991

www.artofproblemsolving.com/community/c4855
by jeffq, rrusczyk

1 If for any three distinct numbers a, b and c we define

c+a
a, b, c = ,
c−b

then 1, −2, −3 =
2 1 2
(A) − 2 (B) − 5 (C) − 4 (D) 5 (E) 2

2 |3 − π| =
1
(A) 7 (B) 0.14 (C) 3 − π (D) 3 + π (E) π − 3

3 (4−1 − 3−1 )−1 =

1
(A) − 12 (B) − 1 (C) 12 (D) 1 (E) 12

4 Which of the following triangles cannot exist?

(A) An acute isosceles triangle (B) An isosceles right triangle (C) An obtuse right triangle (D) A scalene rig
(E) A scalene obtuse triangle

5 In the arrow-shaped polygon [see figure], the angles at vertices A, C, D, E and F are right
angles, BC = F G = 5, CD = F E = 20, DE = 10, and AB = AG. The area of the polygon is
closest to

5
20 D
C

A 10

F
20 E
5

(A) 288 (B) 291 (C) 294 (D) 297 (E) 300

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√
q p
6 If x ≥ 0, then x x x =
√ √ √ √
8
√
8
(A) x x (B) x 4 x (C) 8 x (D) x3 (E) x7

7 If x = ab , a 6= b and b 6= 0, then a+b

a−b =
x x+1 1 1
(A) x+1 (B) x−1 (C) 1 (D) x − x (E) x + x

8 Liquid X does not mix with water. Unless obstructed, it spreads out on the surface of water to
form a circular film 0.1 cm thick. A rectangular box measuring 6 cm by 3 cm by 12 cm is filled
with liquid X. Its contents are poured onto a large body of water. What will be the radius, in
centimeters, of the resulting circular film?
√ q q
(A) 216
π (B) 216
π (C) 2160
π (D) 216
π (E) 2160
π

9 From time t = 0 to time t = 1 a population increased by i%, and from time t = 1 to time
t = 2 the population increased by j%. Therefore, from time t = 0 to time t = 2 the population
increased by
   
ij
(A) (i + j)% (B) ij% (C) (i + ij)% (D) i + j + 100 % (E) i + j + i+j
100 %

10 Point P is 9 units from the center of a circle of radius 15. How many different chords of the
circle contain P and have integer lengths?
(A) 11 (B) 12 (C) 13 (D) 14 (E) 29

11 Jack and Jill run 10 kilometers. They start at the same point, run 5 kilometers up a hill, and
return to the starting point by the same route. Jack has a 10 minute head start and runs at the
rate of 15 km/hr uphill and 20 km/hr downhill. Jill runs 16 km/hr uphill and 22 km/hr downhill.
How far from the top of the hill are they when they pass going in opposite directions?
5 35 27 7 28
(A) 4 km (B) 27 km (C) 20 km (D) 3 km (E) 9 km

12 The measures (in degrees) of the interior angles of a convex hexagon form an arithmetic se-
quence of positive integers. Let m◦ be the measure of the largest interior angle of the hexagon.
The largest possible value of m◦ is
(A) 165◦ (B) 167◦ (C) 170◦ (D) 175◦ (E) 179◦

13 Horses X, Y and Z are entered in a three-horse race in which ties are not possible. If the odds
against X winning are 3 − to − 1 and the odds against Y winning are 2 − to − 3, what are the
odds against Z winning? (By ”odds against H winning are p-to-q” we mean that probability of H
q
winning the race is p+q .)

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(A) 3 − to − 20 (B) 5 − to − 6 (C) 8 − to − 5 (D) 17 − to − 3 (E) 20 − to − 3

14 If x is the cube of a positive integer and d is the number of positive integers that are divisors
of x, then d could be
(A) 200 (B) 201 (C) 202 (D) 203 (E) 204

15 A circular table has exactly 60 chairs around it. There are N people seated at this table in such
a way that the next person to be seated must sit next to someone. The smallest possible value
of N is
(A) 15 (B) 20 (C) 30 (D) 40 (E) 58

16 One hundred students at Century High School participated in the AHSME last year, and their
mean score was 100. The number of non-seniors taking the AHSME was 50% more than the
number of seniors, and the mean score of the seniors was 50% higher than that of the non-
seniors. What was the mean score of the seniors?
(A) 100 (B) 112.5 (C) 120 (D) 125 (E) 150

17 A positive integer N is a palindrome if the integer obtained by reversing the sequence of digits
of N is equal to N . The year 1991 is the only year in the current century with the following two
properties:
(a) It is a palindrome
(b) It factors as a product of a 2-digit prime palindrome and a 3-digit prime palindrome.
How many years in the millennium between 1000 and 2000 (including the year 1991) have
properties (a) and (b)?
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 5

18 If S is the set of points z in the complex plane such that (3 + 4i)z is a real number, then S is a
(A) right triangle (B) circle (C) hyperbola (D) line (E) parabola

19 Triangle ABC has a right angle at C, AC = 3 and BC = 4. Triangle ABD has a right angle at
A and AD = 12. Points C and D are on opposite sides of AB. The line through D parallel to
AC meets CB extended at E. If DB
DE
=m n , where m and n are relatively prime positive integers,
then m + n =

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D

C B E

(A) 25 (B) 128 (C) 153 (D) 243 (E) 256

20 The sum of all real x such that (2x − 4)3 + (4x − 2)3 = (4x + 2x − 6)3 is
(A) 3/2 (B) 2 (C) 5/2 (D) 3 (E) 7/2
 
21 If f x
x−1 = 1
x for all x 6= 0, 1 and 0 < θ < π2 , then f (sec2 θ) =

(A) sin2 θ (B) cos2 θ (C) tan2 θ (D) cot2 θ (E) csc2 θ

22 Two circles are externally tangent. Lines P AB and P A0 B 0 are common tangents with A and
A0 on the smaller circle and B and B 0 on the larger circle. If P A = AB = 4, then the area of the
smaller circle is

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B B′

A A′

√
(A) 1.44π (B) 2π (C) 2.56π (D) 8π (E) 4π

23 If ABCD is a 2 X 2 square, E is the midpoint of AB, F is the midpoint of BC, AF and DE

intersect at I, and BD and AF intersect at H, then the area of quadrilateral BEIH is

A D

B F C

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1 2 7 8 3
(A) 3 (B) 5 (C) 15 (D) 15 (E) 5

24 The graph, G of y = log10 x is rotated 90◦ counter-clockwise about the origin to obtain a new
graph G0 . Which of the following is an equation for G0 ?
(A) y = log10 x+90 1
(D) y = 10−x (E) y = 10x


9 (B) y = logx 10 (C) y = x+1

25 If Tn = 1 + 2 + 3 + . . . + n and
T2 T3 T4 Tn
Pn = · · · ··· · for n = 2, 3, 4, . . . ,
T2 − 1 T3 − 1 T4 − 1 Tn − 1

then P1991 is closest to which of the following numbers?

(A) 2.0 (B) 2.3 (C) 2.6 (D) 2.9 (E) 3.2

26 An n-digit positive integer is cute if its n digits are an arrangement of the set {1, 2, . . . , n} and
its first k digits form an integer that is divisible by k, for k = 1, 2, . . . , n. For example 321 is a
cute 3-digit integer because 1 divides 3, 2 divides 32, and 3 divides 321. How many cute 6-digit
integers are there?
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) 4
√ √
27 If x + x2 − 1 + √1
x− x2 −1
= 20 then x2 + x4 − 1 + √1
x2 + x4 −1
=

(A) 5.05 (B) 20 (C) 51.005 (D) 61.25 (E) 400

28 Initially an urn contains 100 black marbles and 100 white marbles. Repeatedly, three marbles
are removed from the urn and replaced from a pile outside the urn as follows:

MARBLES REMOVED REPLACED WITH

3 black 1 black
2 black, 1 white 1 black, 1 white
1 black, 2 white 2 white
3 white 1 black, 1 white

Which of the following sets of marbles could be the contents of the urn after repeated appli-
cations of this procedure?
(A) 2 black marbles (B) 2 white marbles (C) 1 black marble (D) 1 black and 1 white marble (E) 1 white marb

29 Equilateral triangle ABC has been creased and folded so that vertex A now rests at A0 on BC
as shown. If BA0 = 1 and A0 C = 2 then the length of crease P Q is

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A

P
Q

B C
A′

8 7
√ √
1+ 5 13
√
(A) 5 (B) 20 21 (C) 2 (D) 8 (E) 3

30 For any set S, let |S| denote the number of elements in S, and let n(S) be the number of subsets
of S, including the empty set and the set S itself. If A, B and C are sets for which

n(A) + n(B) + n(C) = n(A ∪ B ∪ C) and |A| = |B| = 100,

then what is the minimum possible value of |A ∩ B ∩ C|?

(A) 96 (B) 97 (C) 98 (D) 99 (E) 100

–
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