Difference between revisions of "2012 AMC 10A Problems/Problem 12"

(Problem 12)
Line 1: Line 1:
== Problem 12 ==
+
== Problem ==
  
 
A year is a leap year if and only if the year number is divisible by 400 (such as 2000) or is divisible by 4 but not 100 (such as 2012).  The 200th anniversary of the birth of novelist Charles Dickens was celebrated on February 7, 2012, a Tuesday.  On what day of the week was Dickens born?
 
A year is a leap year if and only if the year number is divisible by 400 (such as 2000) or is divisible by 4 but not 100 (such as 2012).  The 200th anniversary of the birth of novelist Charles Dickens was celebrated on February 7, 2012, a Tuesday.  On what day of the week was Dickens born?
  
 
<math> \textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ \text{Saturday}\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ \text{Sunday}\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ \text{Monday}\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ \text{Tuesday} </math>
 
<math> \textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ \text{Saturday}\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ \text{Sunday}\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ \text{Monday}\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ \text{Tuesday} </math>
 +
 +
== Solution ==
 +
 +
Ignore their over-complicated definition of a leap year because it is the same as we know it; every year that is a multiple of 4.
 +
 +
The number of days in a regular year (365) is <math>1\ (\text{mod}\ 7)</math> and the number of days in a leap year (366) is <math>2\ (\text{mod}\ 7)</math>. Every four years, we go back the same number of days of the week, which is <math>1+1+1+2=5</math> days. Every thirty-five years, we go back <math>5 \cdot 7=35</math> days of the week, or no days of the week at all. Therefore, no matter how many times we subtract 28 years from February 7, 2012, it will always be a Tuesday. The number closest to 1812 (200 years back) that follows that is <math>2012-28\cdot7=1816.</math>
 +
 +
Because there are four years to 1812, we go back 5 days of the week from Tuesday, which is <math>\boxed{\textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}}</math>.
 +
 +
== See Also ==
 +
 +
{{AMC10 box|year=2012|ab=A|num-b=11|num-a=13}}

Revision as of 23:30, 8 February 2012

Problem

A year is a leap year if and only if the year number is divisible by 400 (such as 2000) or is divisible by 4 but not 100 (such as 2012). The 200th anniversary of the birth of novelist Charles Dickens was celebrated on February 7, 2012, a Tuesday. On what day of the week was Dickens born?

$\textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ \text{Saturday}\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ \text{Sunday}\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ \text{Monday}\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ \text{Tuesday}$

Solution

Ignore their over-complicated definition of a leap year because it is the same as we know it; every year that is a multiple of 4.

The number of days in a regular year (365) is $1\ (\text{mod}\ 7)$ and the number of days in a leap year (366) is $2\ (\text{mod}\ 7)$. Every four years, we go back the same number of days of the week, which is $1+1+1+2=5$ days. Every thirty-five years, we go back $5 \cdot 7=35$ days of the week, or no days of the week at all. Therefore, no matter how many times we subtract 28 years from February 7, 2012, it will always be a Tuesday. The number closest to 1812 (200 years back) that follows that is $2012-28\cdot7=1816.$

Because there are four years to 1812, we go back 5 days of the week from Tuesday, which is $\boxed{\textbf{(A)}\ \text{Friday}}$.

See Also

2012 AMC 10A (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 11
Followed by
Problem 13
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
All AMC 10 Problems and Solutions