2015 AMC 12B Problems/Problem 7

Problem

A regular 15-gon has $L$ lines of symmetry, and the smallest positive angle for which it has rotational symmetry is $R$ degrees. What is $L+R$ ?

$\textbf{(A)}\; 24 \qquad\textbf{(B)}\; 27 \qquad\textbf{(C)}\; 32 \qquad\textbf{(D)}\; 39 \qquad\textbf{(E)}\; 54$

Solution

From consideration of a smaller regular polygon with an odd number of sides (e.g. a pentagon), we see that the lines of symmetry go through a vertex of the polygon and bisect the opposite side. Hence $L=15$ , the number of sides / vertices. The smallest angle for a rotational symmetry transforms one side into an adjacent side, hence $R = 360^\circ / 15 = 24^\circ$ , the number of degrees between adjacent sides. Therefore the answer is $L + R = 15 + 24 = \boxed{\textbf{(D)} \, 39}$ .

2015 AMC 12B (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by Problem 6	Followed by Problem 8
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All AMC 12 Problems and Solutions

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2015 AMC 12B Problems/Problem 7

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