Difference between revisions of "1999 AHSME Problems/Problem 12"

(Solution)
(Problem)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
==Problem==
 
==Problem==
  
What is the maximum number of points of intersection of the graphs of two different fourth degree polynomial functions <math> y \equal{} p(x)</math> and <math> y \equal{} q(x)</math>, each with leading coefficient 1?
+
What is the maximum number of points of intersection of the graphs of two different fourth degree polynomial functions <math> y=p(x)</math> and <math> y=q(x)</math>, each with leading coefficient 1?
  
 
<math> \textbf{(A)}\ 1 \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ 2 \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 3 \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ 4 \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ 8</math>
 
<math> \textbf{(A)}\ 1 \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ 2 \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 3 \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ 4 \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ 8</math>

Revision as of 09:37, 4 December 2015

Problem

What is the maximum number of points of intersection of the graphs of two different fourth degree polynomial functions $y=p(x)$ and $y=q(x)$, each with leading coefficient 1?

$\textbf{(A)}\ 1 \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ 2 \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 3 \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ 4 \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ 8$

Solution

Since the two graphs are fourth degree polynomials, then they can have at most $4$ intersections, giving the answer of $\boxed{D}$.

See Also

1999 AHSME (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 11
Followed by
Problem 13
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
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