2008 AMC 12A Problems/Problem 5

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The following problem is from both the 2008 AMC 12A #5 and 2008 AMC 10A #9, so both problems redirect to this page.

Problem

Suppose that \[\frac{2x}{3}-\frac{x}{6}\] is an integer. Which of the following statements must be true about $x$?

$\mathrm{(A)}\ \text{It is negative.}\qquad\mathrm{(B)}\ \text{It is even, but not necessarily a multiple of 3.}\\\qquad\mathrm{(C)}\ \text{It is a multiple of 3, but not necessarily even.}\\\qquad\mathrm{(D)}\ \text{It is a multiple of 6, but not necessarily a multiple of 12.}\\\qquad\mathrm{(E)}\ \text{It is a multiple of 12.}$

Solution

\[\frac{2x}{3}-\frac{x}{6}\quad\Longrightarrow\quad\frac{4x}{6}-\frac{x}{6}\quad\Longrightarrow\quad\frac{3x}{6}\quad\Longrightarrow\quad\frac{x}{2}\] For $\frac{x}{2}$ to be an integer, $x$ must be even, but not necessarily divisible by $3$. Thus, the answer is $\mathrm{(B)}$.

See also

2008 AMC 12A (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 4
Followed by
Problem 6
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
2008 AMC 10A (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 8
Followed by
Problem 10
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