Difference between revisions of "1986 AJHSME Problems/Problem 18"

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(Solution)
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==Solution==
 
==Solution==
  
The shortest possible rectangle that has sides 36 and 60 would be if the side opposite the wall was 60.  
+
On one side is 0, 12, 24,36, and the other side is the same. The top side is 12,24,36,48. There is no 0 or 60 because of the other two fences. 4*3=12. So B.
 
 
Each of the sides of length 36 contributes <math>\frac{36}{12}=3</math> fence posts and the side of length 60 contributes <math>\frac{60}{12}=5</math> fence posts, so there are <math>2(5+3)=16</math> fence posts.
 
 
 
Since we have the wall, we must cancel a side. This will be a 3 foot fenced side to limit loss. We have now a total of
 
 
 
However, the two corners where a 36-foot fence meets a 60-foot fence are not counted, so there are actually <math>9+2=11</math> fence posts.
 
  
 
<math>\boxed{\text{A}}</math>
 
<math>\boxed{\text{A}}</math>

Revision as of 23:05, 12 August 2022

Problem

A rectangular grazing area is to be fenced off on three sides using part of a $100$ meter rock wall as the fourth side. Fence posts are to be placed every $12$ meters along the fence including the two posts where the fence meets the rock wall. What is the fewest number of posts required to fence an area $36$ m by $60$ m?

[asy] unitsize(12); draw((0,0)--(16,12)); draw((10.66666,8)--(6.66666,13.33333)--(1.33333,9.33333)--(5.33333,4)); label("WALL",(7,4),SE); [/asy]

$\text{(A)}\ 11 \qquad \text{(B)}\ 12 \qquad \text{(C)}\ 13 \qquad \text{(D)}\ 14 \qquad \text{(E)}\ 16$

Solution

On one side is 0, 12, 24,36, and the other side is the same. The top side is 12,24,36,48. There is no 0 or 60 because of the other two fences. 4*3=12. So B.

$\boxed{\text{A}}$

See Also

1986 AJHSME (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 17
Followed by
Problem 19
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 AJHSME/AMC 8 Problems and Solutions

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