1994 AJHSME Problems/Problem 17

Problem

Pauline Bunyan can shovel snow at the rate of $20$ cubic yards for the first hour, $19$ cubic yards for the second, $18$ for the third, etc., always shoveling one cubic yard less per hour than the previous hour. If her driveway is $4$ yards wide, $10$ yards long, and covered with snow $3$ yards deep, then the number of hours it will take her to shovel it clean is closest to

$\text{(A)}\ 4 \qquad \text{(B)}\ 5 \qquad \text{(C)}\ 6 \qquad \text{(D)}\ 7 \qquad \text{(E)}\ 12$

Solution

Her driveway has $(4)(10)(3)=120$ cubic yards of snow. After the first hour she would have $120-20=100$ cubic yards, then $100-19=81$ , $81-18=63$ , $63-17=46$ , $46-16=30$ , $30-15=15$ , and $15-14=1$ cubic yard after the seventh hour. It will take her a little more than seven hours to shovel it clean, which is closest to $\boxed{\text{(D)}\ 7}$ .

1994 AJHSME (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by Problem 16	Followed by Problem 18
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All AJHSME/AMC 8 Problems and Solutions

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1994 AJHSME Problems/Problem 17

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