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2015 AMC 10A Problem 15

Problem 15 of 25IntermediateAlgebraNumber TheoryArithmetic

Consider the set of all fractions xy,\dfrac{x}{y}, where xx and yy are relatively prime positive integers. How many of these fractions have the property that if both numerator and denominator are increased by 1,1, the value of the fraction is increased by 10%?10\%?

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Solution

The condition is x+1y+1=1110⋅xy.\frac{x+1}{y+1}=\frac{11}{10}\cdot\frac{x}{y}. Cross-multiplying gives 10y(x+1)=11x(y+1)10y(x+1)=11x(y+1), or xy+11x−10y=0xy+11x-10y=0. Factoring by grouping after subtracting 110110 gives (x−10)(y+11)=−110.(x-10)(y+11)=-110. Since x,yx,y are positive, the useful negative factor pairs are (−1,110)(-1,110), (−2,55)(-2,55), and (−5,22)(-5,22), producing (x,y)=(9,99),(8,44),(5,11)(x,y)=(9,99),(8,44),(5,11). Only 511\frac{5}{11} has relatively prime numerator and denominator, so exactly one fraction works. Thus, B is the correct answer.
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Tagged: Diophantine Equation · Simon’s Favorite Factoring Trick · fraction

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