~RCH

Find the smallest positive integer n From a set of 200 cards numbered IfmLAOB =mLCOD =90 , find
such thatl4081980n will be the cube from 1 through 200, a card is drawn at mLCOB + mLAOD.
of an integer. random and the number x noted. Find
the probability that xis divisible by
either 2 or 5.

Let (m + l fx- my- m 2 - 1 = 0 be the In the figure, AC =CC' =BA =AA' = In the figure, 0 is the center of the In the figure, externally tangent
equation of a family of lines, where m CB =BB'. Prove that b.A'B'C' is circle, AH is tangent to the circle at H, circles 0 and 0 ' have radii of2 and 1
is any real number. Through what equilateral. and ON= NA. Find, in terms of r, the units, respectively. AC is tangent to
fixed point do all lines of this family area of the these circles at A and B, respectively.
pass? region inside FindAB.
6 0AHand A

A' B'
outside the
circle.
£..._-::---+-.....::...A

(}Jirc
Consider the family of quadratic A circle has diameter AB and an exte- If m and n are each chosen at random Write 1 000 000 000 as the product of
functions given by rior point, P, not on AB nor on the per- from the set {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 91, two numbers, neither of which contains
{(x) = (m 2 - m + l }x2 - (2m)x + 1, pendiculars through its end points. To what is the probability that any zeros.
construct a line through P perpendicu- x2 + mx + n2 = 0
where m is any real number. For
lar to AB using only a straightedge-
what values of m will [(x) always be will have at least one real solution?
positive? Draw AP and BP intersecting the circle at C
and D, respectively. Draw AD and BC \\~th
intersection point 0. Then the line through
0 and P will be perpendicular to AB.
Why is this method valid?

An express train Lakes 3 seconds to What is the probability that in a The figure shows two face diagonals of Consider the following increasing
completely enter a 1 km long tunnel, randomly chosen ten-digit number- a cube. What is the measure of the sequence of four numbers: 1, 3, n, 120.
that is, the entire train will be in the that is, a number between 1 000 000 000 angle between them? What is n if the result of adding 1 to
tunnel. If the train is traveling at 120 and 9 999 999 999 inclusive-all the the product of any two of them is

~
kmlh. bow long will it take to pass digits are different? always a square?
completely through the tunnel?

A~~
If x > 0 andy> 0, prove that Find all positive solutions to A mathematician lays out four cards as To tightly' bind together three
shown below. Each card has a letter on cylindrical barrels, each with a
~+l~2.
(log10 x2)2 = logw(x4).
one side and a positive integer on the diameter of 2 feet, a circular hoop is
y X
other. You are told that any card \vith to be formed from metal strapping,
an odd number on one side must have a as shown. What is the minimum
vowel on the other side. What is the length of strap required?
minimum number of cards that you must
Oip over to verify that none of the cards
violate the rule. [!][!]~[!]
E2Y
I have just invented a new game. Senator Phoghorn announced that his Exactly three integers, all "small" in Prove that if a, b, c, and d are
The equipment consists of a rapidly mail was running 3 to 1 in favor of his absolute value, make x4 + x3 + X2 + x + 1 consecutive integers, then a 1 + b2 + c3
spinning sphere and three darts. You bill. Actually the Senator miscounted. a perfect square. What are they? is divisible by d.
throw the darts at the sphere; if they One letter that he had counted in
all land in the same hemisphere, you favor was really against the bill. The
win. What is the probability of ratio was actually 2 to 1 for the bill.
winning? How many letters had he received?

Three horses run a race. In how many Use the fact that any odd number can Four congruent circles are packed into Eight congruent spheres are packed
different ways can the three finish if be written as the sum of successive a square of sides so that each of the into a cube of edge length e so that
ties are allowed? integers to show that any odd number circles is tangent to two sides of the each of the spheres is tangent to two

®
greater than 1 can be expressed as the square and to two other circles, as faces of the cube and to three other
difference of two squares. shown. vVhat is the ratio of the total spheres, as shown. What is the ratio of
area of the fow· circles to the area of the total volume

rn·
the square? of the eight spheres
to the volume of the e
cube?
s e e

Consider any sequence of four primes, Mona's Social Security number contains What is the minimum number of What is the next number in the
the smallest of which is greater than each of the nonzero digits exactly once. coins-pennies, nickels, dimes, follo\ving sequence?
5, that form an arithmetic sequence By examining the digits from left to quarters, and half dollars - that you
with common difference 6, for 2,6,30,210,2310,30030, ...
right, she also found that 1 divides the must have to ensure that you can give
example, 11, 17, 23, 29. Prove that first digit, 2 divides the first two digits, change for a purchase from $.01
the smallest member of the sequence 3 divides the first three digits, and so on, through $.99 if someone uses a dollar
must have a units digit of 1. until 9 divides the entire number. If the to pay for a purchase?
number begins with 3186, what is her
complete Social Security number?

© National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191 -1593
 $0~UTIONS TO CALENDAR
,.
' Edited by Monte Zerger, Adams State College, Alamosa, CO 81102; mjzerger@adams.edu
Problems 1-10 were submitted by Russ Euler and Jawad Sadek, Northwest Missouri State University, 800 University
Drive, Maryville, MO 64468-6001. Problems 11-14 came from The P~nguin Book of Curious and Interesting Puz~les, ~y
David Wells (New York: Penguin Books, 1992). Problem 15 was contnbuted by Ted Zerger, Kansas Wesleyan Umvers1ty,
100 East Claflin Avenue, Salina, KS 67401-6196. Problems 16 and 17 are found in Twenty Years before the Blackboard:
The Lessons and Humor of a Mathematics Teacher, by Michael Stueben \vith Diane Sandford (Washington, D.C.:
Mathematical Association of America, 1998). Problem 18 came from the September 1997 issue of SIAM News. Problem 19
came from Problem Solving Competition, published by the American Society for the Communication of Mathematics,
Oklahoma City, Okla. Problem 20 was published in the sp1ing 1997 issue of the Colorado Mathematics Teacher, and
problem 21 was published in the fall 1996 issue of the Colorado Mathematics Teacher. Problem 22 can be found in
Mathematical Quickies, by Charles W. Trigg (New York, Dover Publications, 1985).

4 The point (2, 1) Since mLOHA =90° and OA =

1 1150. Since 14081980n = 22 •
2(0H), llOAH is a 30°- 60° rif ht
z=2.
5 • 113 • 232 • n, the value of n (m + 1)2x -my -m 2 - 1 triangle. Then HA =v(2r)2 -r = By applying the Pythagorean
must be 2 • 52 • 23, or 1150.
= m2x + 2mx + x- my- m2 -1 -13r, and the area of the right theorem to llO'BC, we have y =
2 3/5. First note that both 2 and =(x-l}m2 t (2x- y}m +x - 1, triangle is ~32- P = 2~. Employing the
5 divide x if and only if 10 divides which is identically zero if and {,Jar) similarity of the triangles once
more, we get
x. By using the formula for only if x- 1 = 0 and 2x- y = 0.
adding probabilities of events, Therefore, x =1 andy = 2, so all 2
1 2\ 2
lines of the family pass through
P (either 2 or 5 divides x)
the fixed point (2, 1).
Because mLHON = 7rl3, the area 2= x+2~'
=P (2 divides x) + P (5 divides x) of sector HON is
- P (10 divides x) S X= AB =2, 2.
100 40 20
=- +- - - 8 All m < 1. If f(x) is positive,
200 200 200 2 6 its graph, which is a parabola,
3 must never cross the x-axis and
=-5 Thus, the desired area is
must open upward. For it to have
, r3r2 m·2 (3 Ja-n )r2 no x-intercepts, it must have only
3 180°. Construct OE, the ray A' B' ---
2
-6 = 6
imaginary zeros; hence, its
opposite to OB. A'A =B'B, AC' =A'B', and discriminant must be negative.
mLA'AC' = mLB'BA' = 120°, so
by SAS ll A'AC' :: ll B'BA' and 7 2~. Let AB =x, BC =y, and (2mt -4(m 2
-m+1)(1) < 0
therefore A'B' = A'C'. Similarly, MC=z.
A'B' =B'C', and llA'B'C' 4m-4 <0
is equilateral. m<1
E B For the parabola to open upward,
m2 - m + 1 > 0; when m < 1, the
Since LAOD and LCOE have the inequality is always true and so
same complementary angle, f(x) is positive for all m < J.
LCOA, they have equal measures.
Thus, Since ll OAC - llO'BC, it follows 9 mLACB = mLADB = 90°,
mLAOD t mLCOB that since they are angles inscribed in
a semicircle. Therefore, AD and
= mLCOE + mLCOB 1 1+z
- =- -, BC are altitudes of ll APB.
= 180°. 2 4 +z (Continued on pagl! 229)

The Editorial Panel of the Mathematics Teacher is considering sets of problems submitted by individuals, classes of prospective teachers,
and mathematics clubs for publication in the calendar during the 1999- 2000 academic year. Please write to the senior journal editor,
/906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 2019 1-1593, for guidelines, or send your request through e-mail to infocentral@nctm.org, or obtain
guidelines as document 803 from NCTM's Fax·on-Demand Service Center, (800) 220-8483.
Two other sources of problems in calendar form are available from NCTM: "Calendars for the Calculating" (a set of nine monthly calendars
that originally appeared from September 1983 to May 1984, order number 344, $7.00) and "A Year of Mathematics" (one annual calendar
that originally appeared in September 1982, order number 31 1, $3.50; set of five, order number 312, $7.00). Individual members receive a
20 percent discount off these prices. Write to NCTM, attention: infocentral, or send e·mailto infocentral@nctm.org, for the catalog of educa-
tional materials, which includes a listing for the publication Exploratory Problems in Mathematics.-Ed.

232 THE MATHEMATICS TEACHER

 SOLUTIONS TO CALENDAR.- Continued from page 232

Because the three altitudes of a numbers, all digits are different; we must verify that statement's 3 2
triangle are concurrent, 0 is the but 9! of them begin with 0, so contrapositive. If the letter that (-lr +(-1) +(-1) +(-1)+ ]
2
orthocenter of 6 APB, and a line only 10! - 9! numbers are valid. is showing is not a vowel-that = 1= 1
through 0 and P will be Therefore, the probability is is, it is a consonant-is the other
perpendicular to AB. side not an odd number-that is,
10!-9! 567 is it even? The A and the 2 are
9 000 000 000 15 625 000 irrelevant to the satisfaction or
violation of the rule.
= 0.00036288.
19 Approximately 13.5 ft. Let
14 60°. Draw face diagonal AC the radius of the circle formed by 23 Let the integers ben, n + 1,
to complete an equilateral triangle the strap be R. See the diagram. n + 2, and n + 3. Then
showing that mLABC = 60°.
2 3
n 1 +(n+1) +(n+2)
2
=n+(n +2n + 1)
+(n3 +6n 2 + 12n +8)

=n3 +7n 2 +15n+9

15 n = 8. Examining the values = (n + 3)(n2 +411 + 3).

ofn + 1, 311 + 1, and 120n + 1 for
10 3/10. For the equation to different choices of n reveals that Since mLACB = 60°, we can
24 Thirteen. The horses can
have at least one real solution, they all become petfect squares write
when n equals 8. finish in 3!, or six, ways if no ties
the discriminant must be non- occur. Suppose that two of the
negative. 1
sin 60°= - - , horses tie. Three ways exist to
16 Assume that the inequality R- 1 select the tying horses. The third
is true. Then since x andy are
positive, we can multiply both v3 1 horse can either beat them or
lose to them, so a two-way tie can
sides by xy to obtain z = R- 1' occur in any of six different ways.
m2 ~4n 2 ,
which implies, since m and n must i
x2 + ~ 2xy, R - 2J 3+3
Obviously, only one way exists
for all of them to tie. Therefore,
- 3 '
both be nonnegative, that m ~ 211. x 2 -2xy+ i ~0, the horses can finish in 6 + 6 + 1,
The following chart gives all the or thirteen, ways.
2 so the length of the strap is
possible values form and n: (x- y) ~o.
2 5 For example, observe that
2\ ~+3 J.
n m
which is always true. Next 2n[ since 7 =4 + 3, we can write 7 =
0 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 reverse the steps. (4 + 3) (4- 3) = 42 -32. In general,
1 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 let 2n- 1 = n + (n - 1) be an odd
2 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 17 1 and 10 or approximately 13.5, feet. number. Then
3 6, 7, 8, 9
4 8, 9
Thus, the required probability is
(log10x
2
t
2
= log 10 (x 4 ) 20 1. Any three points on a
sphere lie in the same hemisphere.
2n - 1=[n+ (n - 1)][n- (n - 1)]
30/100 = 3/10.
(2 log 10x) = 4log 10x
21 Twelve letters. Let the
11 1000000 000= 10 =5 • 29

= 1953125 . 512
9 9
(log !Ox r
?
= log lOx
original number of letters in
favor of the bill be x and the 26 ;r:4. The
2
area of the square
is clearly s . Each of the circles
2 number against bey. Then xly =
(log 10x) - log 10x =0 3/1 = 3, and has radius s/4, so the four circles
have combined area
12 33 seconds. The train is x-l 2
traveling at 120 kmlh = log10x(log 10 x -1) =0 -=
120 km/3600 s = 1 km/30 s. It will y+ 1 1'
take 3 seconds for the end of the lflog 10x = 0, then x = 10° = 1. If
x- 2y = 3.
train to reach the entrance to the log10x- 1 = 0, then x =101 = 10.
tunnel and then another 30 seconds Note that if xis not restricted to Substituting 3y for x in this equa- Thus, the ratio is
for the end of the train to reach being positive, then -1 and - 10 tion, we obtain y = 3, which
the end of the tunnel, making a are also solutions. implies that x = 9. The correct 7TS2
total of 33 seconds. count was nine letters for the bill
18 2 cards, the 7 and the K 4 1r

13 0.00036288. A total of Two conditions must be checked:

and three against the bill. ;=:t·
9 000 000 000 numbers are in First, if an odd number is showing,
this range. In 10! of these is the other side a vowel? Second, 22 -1, 0, and 3 (Continued on page 2331

229
Vol. 92, No. 3 • March 1999
 SOLUTIONS TO
CALENDAR -
Con t tnu eel ji·om pa!Je 229

Note that this ratio will remain

the same when the number of
circles packed is any number in the
sequence 1, 9, 16, 25, ... , n2, ....
Multilinks Advanced Kit for
27 n:6. The
3
volume of the cube grades 8-10 con make algebra
is clearly e . Each of the spheres· a hands-on leaming experience.
has radius e/4, so the eight
spheres have combined volume LEARNING WEU
111 Kane Street
Baltimore, MD 21224

Thus, the ratio is

lfe3

Aa. = 7r
i 6 ~E==V==E=R==Y==D====~~~~~~~~~~®
Note that this ratio will remain
the same when the number of
spheres packed is any number in
the sequence 1, 8, 27. 64, ... ,
Expect More. Achieve More.
na, .... Call or wlite today to find out how to get results that count
28 Since the units digit must with this research-based secondary mathematics curliculum.
be odd and cannot be a 5, the
first prime in the sequence must
have a units digit of 1, 7, 3, or 9.
If the digit is either 7, 3, or 9,
then one of the members of the
Connected
sequence will have a units digit
of 5, so it cannot be prime. Geometry
from Educatiot~ Developtnet~t
29 381654729. It is easy to sec Center, Inc. with funding from the
that the fifth digit must be a 5.
So now we have 38165. The sixth Natimzal Science Fozmdatio11
digit must be one of the remaining
digits: 2, 4, 7, and 9. Since 6 is • Acomplete one-year course that
even, it must be 2 or 4. Because 2 focuses on the essential ideas of
will not work, the fi rst six digits
must be 381654. The seventh geometry in depth, asking students to
digit must be either 2, 7, or 9. solve significant problems through
Routine checking reveals that it experiment, conjecture,
must be 7. Since 8 is even, the
eighth digit must be 2, leaving communication, and reasoning.
the final digit to be 9. Note: It
Take Students Even Further • Aunique approach to proof that
can be shown that this number is
The Connected Geometry
the only nine-digit number using
CO-ROM contains all
includes both how students can come
each of the nonzero digits exactly up with proofs, how to present them,
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textbook plus additional and why they're important in
30 9 coins: 4 pennies, 1 nickel, investigations for further study, for mathematics.
special projects. or extra practice.
2 dimes, 1 quarter, 1 half dollar

31 510510=2 · 3 · 5 · 7 ·
11 · 13 · 17.Thefirstprime
number is 2; 6 = 2 • 3 is the
product of the first two primes;
30 = 2 • 3 • 5 is the product of the
first three primes; and so on .@

Vol. 92, No. 3 • March 1999 233