Art of Problem Solving
AoPS Online
Math texts, online classes, and more
for students in grades 5-12.
Visit AoPS Online ‚
Books for Grades 5-12 Online Courses
Beast Academy
Engaging math books and online learning
for students ages 6-13.
Visit Beast Academy ‚
Books for Ages 6-13 Beast Academy Online
AoPS Academy
Small live classes for advanced math
and language arts learners in grades 2-12.
Visit AoPS Academy ‚
Find a Physical Campus Visit the Virtual Campus

1953 AHSME Problems/Problem 14

Problem 14

Given the larger of two circles with center $P$ and radius $p$ and the smaller with center $Q$ and radius $q$. Draw $PQ$. Which of the following statements is false?

$\textbf{(A)}\ p-q\text{ can be equal to }\overline{PQ}\\ \textbf{(B)}\ p+q\text{ can be equal to }\overline{PQ}\\ \textbf{(C)}\ p+q\text{ can be less than }\overline{PQ}\\ \textbf{(D)}\ p-q\text{ can be less than }\overline{PQ}\\ \textbf{(E)}\ \text{none of these}$

Solution

We will test each option to see if it can be true or not. Links to diagrams are provided. \[\textbf{(A)}\ p-q\text{ can be equal to }\overline{PQ}\] Let circle $Q$ be inside circle $P$ and tangent to circle $P$, and the point of tangency be $R$. $PR = p$, and $QR = q$, so $PR - QR = PQ = p-q.$ [asy] pair P, Q, R; P = (0,0); Q = (3,0); R = (4,0); draw(Circle(P,4)); draw(Circle(Q,1)); draw(P--R); dot(P); dot(Q); dot(R); label("$P$",P,S); label("$Q$",Q,S); label("$R$",R,E); [/asy] \[\textbf{(B)}\ p+q\text{ can be equal to }\overline{PQ}\] Let circle $Q$ be outside circle $P$ and tangent to circle $P$, and the point of tangency be $R$. $PR = p$, and $QR = q$, so $PR + QR = PQ = p+q.$ [asy] pair P, Q, R; P = (0,0); Q = (5,0); R = (4,0); draw(Circle(P,4)); draw(Circle(Q,1)); draw(P--Q); dot(P); dot(Q); dot(R); label("$P$",P,S); label("$Q$",Q,S); label("$R$",R,SW); [/asy] \[\textbf{(C)}\ p+q\text{ can be less than }\overline{PQ}\] Let circle $Q$ be outside circle $P$ and not tangent to circle $P$, and the intersection of $\overline{PQ}$ with the circles be $R$ and $S$ respectively. $PR = p$ and $QS = q$, and $PR + QS < PQ$, so $p+q < PQ.$ [asy] pair P, Q, R, SS; P = (0,0); Q = (5,0); R = (3,0); SS = (4,0); draw(Circle(P,3)); draw(Circle(Q,1)); draw(P--Q); dot(P); dot(Q); dot(R); dot(SS); label("$P$",P,S); label("$Q$",Q,S); label("$R$",R,SW); label("$S$",SS,SW); [/asy] \[\textbf{(D)}\ p-q\text{ can be less than }\overline{PQ}\] Let circle $Q$ be inside circle $P$ and not tangent to circle $P$, and the intersection of $\overline{PQ}$ with the circles be $R$ and $S$ as shown in the diagram. $PR = p$ and $QS = q$, and $QS < QR$, so $PR - QS < PR - QR$, and $PR - QR = PQ$, so $p-q < PQ.$ [asy] pair P, Q, R, SS; P = (0,0); Q = (3,0); R = (6,0); SS = (4.5,0); draw(Circle(P,6)); draw(Circle(Q,1.5)); draw(P--R); dot(P); dot(Q); dot(R); dot(SS); label("$P$",P,S); label("$Q$",Q,S); label("$R$",R,SW); label("$S$",SS,SW); [/asy] Since options A, B, C, and D can be true, the answer must be $\boxed{E}$.

See Also

1953 AHSC (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by
Problem 13 		Followed by
Problem 15
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50
All AHSME Problems and Solutions

The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. AMC logo.png

Retrieved from "https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=1953_AHSME_Problems/Problem_14&oldid=96354"