2012 AMC 10A Problems/Problem 12

Revision as of 18:54, 9 February 2012 by Mattchu386 (talk | contribs) (Solution 2)

Problem

A year is a leap year if and only if the year number is divisible by 400 (such as 2000) or is divisible by 4 but not 100 (such as 2012). The 200th anniversary of the birth of novelist Charles Dickens was celebrated on February 7, 2012, a Tuesday. On what day of the week was Dickens born?

$\textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ \text{Saturday}\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ \text{Sunday}\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ \text{Monday}\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ \text{Tuesday}$

Solution

Ignore their over-complicated definition of a leap year because it is the same as we know it; every year that is a multiple of 4.

The number of days in a regular year (365) is $1\ (\text{mod}\ 7)$ and the number of days in a leap year (366) is $2\ (\text{mod}\ 7)$. Every four years, we go back the same number of days of the week, which is $1+1+1+2=5$ days. Every thirty-five years, we go back $5 \cdot 7=35$ days of the week, or no days of the week at all. Therefore, no matter how many times we subtract 28 years from February 7, 2012, it will always be a Tuesday. The number closest to 1812 (200 years back) that follows that is $2012-28\cdot7=1816.$

Because there are four years to 1812, we go back 5 days of the week from Tuesday, which is $\boxed{\textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}}$.

Solution 2

Each year we go back is one day back, because $365 = 1\ (\text{mod}\ 7)$. Each leap year we go back is two days back, since $366 = 2\ (\text{mod}\ 7)$. A leap year is GENERALLY every four years, so 200 years would have $\frac{200}{4}$ = $50$ leap years, but the problem points out that 1900 does not count as a leap year.

This would mean a total of 150 regular years and 49 leap years, so $1(151)+2(49)$ = $249$ days back. Since $249 = 4\ (\text{mod}\ 7)$, four days back from Tuesday would be $\boxed{\textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}}$

See Also

2012 AMC 10A (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 11
Followed by
Problem 13
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All AMC 10 Problems and Solutions