2002 AMC 12A Problems/Problem 20
Problem
Suppose that and
are digits, not both nine and not both zero, and the repeating decimal
is expressed as a fraction in lowest terms. How many different denominators are possible?
Solution
Solution 1
The repeating decimal is equal to
When expressed in lowest terms, the denominator of this fraction will always be a divisor of the number . This gives us the possibilities
. As
and
are not both nine and not both zero, the denominator
can not be achieved, leaving us with
possible denominators.
(The other ones are achieved e.g. for equal to
,
,
,
, and
, respectively.)
Solution 2
Another way to convert the decimal into a fraction (no idea what it's called). We have
where
are digits. Continuing in the same way, we have 5 different possibilities for the denomenator. $\boxed\mathrm {(B)}$ (Error compiling LaTeX. Unknown error_msg)
~ Nafer
See Also
2002 AMC 12A (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | |
Preceded by Problem 19 |
Followed by Problem 21 |
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 12 Problems and Solutions |
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