2004 AMC 10B Problem 13
Problem 13 of 25IntermediateAlgebraNumber Theory
In the United States, coins have the following thicknesses: penny, mm; nickel, mm; dime, mm; quarter, mm. If a stack of these coins is exactly mm high, how many coins are in the stack?
Answer choices
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Solution
Measure every thickness in hundredths of a millimeter. The four possible thicknesses are all congruent to If the stack has coins and an integer height, its total in hundredths is divisible by so is divisible by Therefore must be a multiple of
A stack of coins is at most mm, and a stack of coins is at least mm, so only coins can total mm.
Indeed, quarters give mm.
Thus, the correct answer is B.