2008 AMC 12A Problems/Problem 5

Problem

Suppose that $\frac{2x}{3}-\frac{x}{6}$ is an integer. Which of the following statements must be true about $x$ ?

$\mathrm{(A)}\ \text{It is negative.}\qquad\mathrm{(B)}\ \text{It is even, but not necessarily a multiple of 3.}\\\qquad\mathrm{(C)}\ \text{It is a multiple of 3, but not necessarily even.}\\\qquad\mathrm{(D)}\ \text{It is a multiple of 6, but not necessarily a multiple of 12.}\\\qquad\mathrm{(E)}\ \text{It is a multiple of 12.}$

Solution

$\frac{2x}{3}-\frac{x}{6}\quad\Longrightarrow\quad\frac{4x}{6}-\frac{x}{6}\quad\Longrightarrow\quad\frac{3x}{6}\quad\Longrightarrow\quad\frac{x}{2}$ For $\frac{x}{2}$ to be an integer, $x$ must be even, but not necessarily divisible by $3$ . Thus, the answer is $\mathrm{(B)}$ .

2008 AMC 12A (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by Problem 4	Followed by Problem 6
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2008 AMC 12A Problems/Problem 5

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