2012 AMC 10B Problems/Problem 7

Problem 7

For a science project, Sammy observed a chipmunk and a squirrel stashing acorns in holes. The chipmunk hid 3 acorns in each of the holes it dug. The squirrel hid 4 acorns in each of the holes it dug. They each hid the same number of acorns, although the squirrel needed 4 fewer holes. How many acorns did the chipmunk hide?

$\textbf{(A)}\ 30\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ 36\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ 42\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ 48\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ 54$


Solutions

Let $x$ be the number of acorns that both animals had.

So by the info in the problem:

$\frac{x}{3}=\left( \frac{x}{4} \right)+4$

Subtracting $\frac{x}{4}$ from both sides leaves

$\frac{x}{12}=4$

$\boxed{x=48}$

This is answer choice $\textbf{(D)}$ The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. AMC logo.png