2017 AMC 12A Problem 1

Problem 1 of 25EasierAlgebra

Pablo buys popsicles for his friends. The store sells single popsicles for

\$1

each,

3

-popsicle boxes for

\$2,

and

5

-popsicle boxes for

\$3.

What is the greatest number of popsicles that Pablo can buy with

\$8?

Show solution

Solution

The cheapest popsicles come from the

5

-popsicle box, at

\dfrac{\$3}{5}=\$0.60

each. Even at that rate,

14

popsicles would cost

14\cdot\$0.60=\$8.40,

more than

\$8.

So Pablo can buy at most

13,

and he achieves this with two

5

-boxes for

\$6

and one

3

-box for

\$2,

giving

2\cdot5+3=13

popsicles. Thus, the correct answer is D.