Difference between revisions of "1983 AIME Problems/Problem 2"

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== Problem ==
 
== Problem ==
 
Let <math>f(x)=|x-p|+|x-15|+|x-p-15|</math>, where <math>0 < p < 15</math>. Determine the [[minimum]] value taken by <math>f(x)</math> for <math>x</math> in the [[interval]] <math>p \leq x\leq15</math>.
 
Let <math>f(x)=|x-p|+|x-15|+|x-p-15|</math>, where <math>0 < p < 15</math>. Determine the [[minimum]] value taken by <math>f(x)</math> for <math>x</math> in the [[interval]] <math>p \leq x\leq15</math>.

Revision as of 14:55, 24 December 2022

Problem

Let $f(x)=|x-p|+|x-15|+|x-p-15|$, where $0 < p < 15$. Determine the minimum value taken by $f(x)$ for $x$ in the interval $p \leq x\leq15$.

Solution

It is best to get rid of the absolute values first.

Under the given circumstances, we notice that $|x-p|=x-p$, $|x-15|=15-x$, and $|x-p-15|=15+p-x$.

Adding these together, we find that the sum is equal to $30-x$, which attains its minimum value (on the given interval $p \leq x \leq 15$) when $x=15$, giving a minimum of $\boxed{015}$.

See Also

1983 AIME (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 1
Followed by
Problem 3
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All AIME Problems and Solutions