Difference between revisions of "2015 AMC 10B Problems/Problem 24"
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Then he takes <math>4</math> steps West and <math>4</math> steps South, ending at <math>(-2,-2)</math> after <math>2+4+6+8</math> steps, and about to head East. | Then he takes <math>4</math> steps West and <math>4</math> steps South, ending at <math>(-2,-2)</math> after <math>2+4+6+8</math> steps, and about to head East. | ||
− | From this pattern, we can notice that for any integer <math>k | + | From this pattern, we can notice that for any integer <math>k \ge 1</math> he's at <math>(-k, -k)</math> after <math>2 + 4 + 6 + ... + 4k</math> steps, and about to head East. There are <math>2k</math> terms in the sum, with an average value of <math>(2 + 4k)/2 = 2k + 1</math>, so: |
<cmath>2 + 4 + 6 + ... + 4k = 2k(2k + 1)</cmath> | <cmath>2 + 4 + 6 + ... + 4k = 2k(2k + 1)</cmath> |
Revision as of 16:57, 29 November 2015
Problem
Aaron the ant walks on the coordinate plane according to the following rules. He starts at the origin facing to the east and walks one unit, arriving at
. For
, right after arriving at the point
, if Aaron can turn
left and walk one unit to an unvisited point
, he does that. Otherwise, he walks one unit straight ahead to reach
. Thus the sequence of points continues
, and so on in a counterclockwise spiral pattern. What is
?
Solution
(Used from 2015 AMC 10/12 B Math Jam)
The first thing we would do is track Aaron's footsteps:
He starts by taking step East and
step North, ending at
after
steps and about to head West.
Then he takes steps West and
steps South, ending at
) after
steps, and about to head East.
Then he takes steps East and
steps North, ending at
after
steps, and about to head West.
Then he takes steps West and
steps South, ending at
after
steps, and about to head East.
From this pattern, we can notice that for any integer he's at
after
steps, and about to head East. There are
terms in the sum, with an average value of
, so:
If we substitute into the equation:
. So he has
moves to go. This makes him end up at
See Also
2015 AMC 10B (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
Preceded by Problem 23 |
Followed by Problem 25 | |
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 | ||
All AMC 10 Problems and Solutions |
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