2014 AMC 8 Problems/Problem 13

Revision as of 13:43, 10 May 2020 by Andy math (talk | contribs) (Solution)

Problem

If $n$ and $m$ are integers and $n^2+m^2$ is even, which of the following is impossible?

$\textbf{(A) }$ $n$ and $m$ are even $\qquad\textbf{(B) }$ $n$ and $m$ are odd $\qquad\textbf{(C) }$ $n+m$ is even $\qquad\textbf{(D) }$ $n+m$ is odd $\qquad \textbf{(E) }$ none of these are impossible

Solution

Since $n^2+m^2$ is even, either both $n^2$ and $m^2$ are even, or they are both odd. Therefore, $n$ and $m$ are either both even or both odd, since the square of an even number is even and the square of an odd number is odd. As a result, $n+m$ must be even. The answer, then, is $\boxed{D}$.

See Also

2014 AMC 8 (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 12
Followed by
Problem 14
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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