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2012 AMC 10A Problem 4

Problem 4 of 25EasierAlgebraGeometry

Let ABC=24\angle ABC = 24^\circ and ABD=20.\angle ABD = 20^\circ . What is the smallest possible degree measure for CBD?\angle CBD?

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Solution

Note that both of the angles share the ray AB.AB. To minimize the desired degree, we want DD to be between AA and C.C. This would make CBD=ABCABD=4. \begin{aligned} \angle CBD &= \angle ABC - \angle ABD \\ &= 4^{\circ}. \end{aligned} Thus, C is the correct answer.

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Concepts: angle chasing · optimization

Problem text and solution from the LIVE past-contest archive. See also the AoPS wiki page for community solutions.