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2020 AMC 12B Problem 2

Problem 2 of 25EasierAlgebra

What is the value of the following expression? 1002−72702−112⋅(70−11)(70+11)(100−7)(100+7)\frac{100^2 - 7^2}{70^2 - 11^2} \cdot \frac{(70 - 11)(70 + 11)}{(100 - 7)(100 + 7)}

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Solution

Using the difference of squares, 1002−72=(100−7)(100+7)100^2 - 7^2 = (100 - 7)(100 + 7) and 702−112=(70−11)(70+11).70^2 - 11^2 = (70 - 11)(70 + 11). The expression becomes (100−7)(100+7)(70−11)(70+11)⋅(70−11)(70+11)(100−7)(100+7)=1. \begin{aligned} &\frac{(100 - 7)(100 + 7)}{(70 - 11)(70 + 11)} \\ &\quad {}\cdot \frac{(70 - 11)(70 + 11)}{(100 - 7)(100 + 7)} = 1. \end{aligned} Thus, the correct answer is A.
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