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2024 AMC 10B Problem 19

Problem 19 of 25HarderGeometry

In the following table, each question mark is to be replaced by “Possible” or “Not Possible” to indicate whether a nonvertical line with the given slope can contain the given number of lattice points (points both of whose coordinates are integers). How many of the 1212 entries will be “Possible”?

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Solution

Any two lattice points give a rational slope. So a line with irrational slope holds at most one lattice point: it can have 00 (say y=2x+12y = \sqrt2\,x + \tfrac12) or exactly 11 (say y=2xy = \sqrt2\,x), never two. A line with rational slope (zero included) through a lattice point (x0,y0)(x_0, y_0) also passes through (x0+q,y0+p)(x_0 + q, y_0 + p) for its reduced slope pq,\tfrac{p}{q}, so it hits infinitely many; such a line has either 00 lattice points (shift it by an irrational intercept) or more than two, never exactly one or two. So each row gives exactly two “Possible” entries. For zero and nonzero rational slope those are the “zero” and “more than two” columns; for irrational slope, the “zero” and “exactly one” columns. That’s 66 in all. Thus, C is the correct answer.

More practice

Concepts: lattice point · slope · casework

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