AMC 8

2018 AMC 8

25 problems — read each, give it a real try, then peek at the hints.

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Problem 1 · 2018 AMC 8 Easy
Ratios, Rates & Proportions ratio proportion

An amusement park has a collection of scale models, with a ratio of 1 : 20, of buildings and other sights from around the country. The height of the United States Capitol is 289 feet. What is the height in feet of its replica at this park, rounded to the nearest whole number?

Show hint
Scale 1:20 means the replica is 1/20 of the original. Divide.
Show solution
  1. Replica height = 289 / 20 = 14.45.
  2. Rounded: 14 feet.
A 14 feet.
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Problem 2 · 2018 AMC 8 Easy
Fractions, Decimals & Percents fraction-to-decimal

What is the value of the product

(1 + 11) · (1 + 12) · (1 + 13) · (1 + 14) · (1 + 15) · (1 + 16) ?
Show hint
Rewrite each factor as n+1n. Then watch consecutive numerators and denominators cancel.
Show solution
  1. 1 + 1/n = (n+1)/n. So the product is 21 · 32 · 43 · 54 · 65 · 76.
  2. Everything cancels except 7/1 = 7.
D 7.
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Problem 3 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Logic & Word Problems casework careful-counting

Students Arn, Bob, Cyd, Dan, Eve, and Fon are arranged in that order in a circle. They start counting: Arn first, then Bob, and so forth. When the number contains a 7 as a digit (such as 47) or is a multiple of 7 that person leaves the circle and the counting continues. Who is the last one present in the circle?

Show hint (soft nudge)
List the early 'bad' numbers: 7, 14, 17, 21, 27, 28, 35, … Track who lands on each as the circle shrinks.
Show hint (sharpest)
After each elimination, continue counting from the next person in the shrunken circle.
Show solution
  1. Counts that eliminate: 7, 14, 17, 21, 27, 28, … (7 itself, 14, multiples of 7, or any number with a 7 digit).
  2. Pass 1 (6 people): A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5, F=6, A=7 ⇒ A out.
  3. Pass 2 (5 people: B, C, D, E, F): B=8, C=9, D=10, E=11, F=12, B=13, C=14 ⇒ C out.
  4. Pass 3 (4: B, D, E, F): D=15, E=16, F=17 ⇒ F out.
  5. Pass 4 (3: B, D, E): B=18, D=19, E=20, B=21 ⇒ B out.
  6. Pass 5 (2: D, E): D=22, E=23, D=24, E=25, D=26, E=27 ⇒ E out.
  7. Last remaining: Dan.
D Dan.
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Problem 4 · 2018 AMC 8 Easy
Geometry & Measurement area-decomposition area
amc8-2018-04
Show hint (soft nudge)
Split the shape into a central square plus four triangular bumps. Each bump is a right triangle on the grid.
Show hint (sharpest)
Center 3 × 3 = 9. Each bump triangle: base 2, height 1 ⇒ area 1. Four of them = 4.
Show solution
  1. The figure breaks into a 3 × 3 central square plus 4 identical right triangles on the outside.
  2. Square area: 9. Each triangle: (1/2)(2)(1) = 1; four of them: 4.
  3. Total: 9 + 4 = 13 cm2.
C 13 sq cm.
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Problem 5 · 2018 AMC 8 Easy
Arithmetic & Operations grouping arithmetic-series

What is the value of

1 + 3 + 5 + … + 2017 + 2019 − 2 − 4 − 6 − … − 2016 − 2018 ?
Show hint
Rearrange: 1 + (3−2) + (5−4) + (7−6) + … + (2019−2018). Each parenthesis is just 1.
Show solution
  1. Group as 1 + (3 − 2) + (5 − 4) + … + (2019 − 2018). Each parenthesized pair = 1.
  2. Number of pairs: from 3–2 up to 2019–2018 — that's 1009 pairs. Plus the leading 1.
  3. Total: 1 + 1009 = 1010.
E 1010.
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Problem 6 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Ratios, Rates & Proportions distance-speed-time

On a trip to the beach, Anh traveled 50 miles on the highway and 10 miles on a coastal access road. He drove three times as fast on the highway as on the coastal road. If Anh spent 30 minutes driving on the coastal road, how many minutes did his entire trip take?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Coastal speed = 10 mi / 30 min = 1/3 mile/minute. Highway is 3× faster = 1 mile/minute.
Show hint (sharpest)
Highway time = 50 miles ÷ 1 mile/min = 50 min. Add the 30 min coastal.
Show solution
  1. Coastal: 10 miles in 30 min ⇒ 1/3 mile per minute. Highway is 3× that: 1 mile/min.
  2. Highway time: 50 / 1 = 50 min.
  3. Total: 30 + 50 = 80 minutes.
C 80 minutes.
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Problem 7 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Number Theory divisibility digit-sum

The 5-digit number 2018U is divisible by 9. What is the remainder when this number is divided by 8?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Div by 9 ⇔ digit sum div by 9. Find U.
Show hint (sharpest)
U = 7 (since 2+0+1+8 = 11; 11+U div by 9 ⇒ U = 7). Then 20187 mod 8.
Show solution
  1. Sum of digits 2+0+1+8+U = 11 + U must be a multiple of 9 (with 0 ≤ U ≤ 9). So U = 7.
  2. 20187 ÷ 8 = 2523 remainder 3 (since 2523 × 8 = 20184). Remainder: 3.
B Remainder 3.
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Problem 8 · 2018 AMC 8 Easy
Arithmetic & Operations careful-counting
amc8-2018-08
Show hint (soft nudge)
Mean = (total days) ÷ (total students). Read each bar's height to get the count of students for each day-value.
Show hint (sharpest)
Total days = 1·1 + 3·2 + 2·3 + 6·4 + 8·5 + 3·6 + 2·7. Total students = sum of heights.
Show solution
  1. Students per day-count (1 to 7 days): 1, 3, 2, 6, 8, 3, 2. Total students: 1+3+2+6+8+3+2 = 25.
  2. Total days: 1·1 + 3·2 + 2·3 + 6·4 + 8·5 + 3·6 + 2·7 = 1 + 6 + 6 + 24 + 40 + 18 + 14 = 109.
  3. Mean = 109 / 25 = 4.36.
C 4.36.
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Problem 9 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement area-decomposition perimeter

Tyler is tiling the floor of his 12 foot by 16 foot living room. He plans to place one-foot by one-foot square tiles to form a border along the edges of the room and to fill in the rest of the floor with two-foot by two-foot square tiles. How many tiles will he use?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Border (1×1 tiles): walk around the rectangle — total = 2×(12+16) − 4 for shared corners.
Show hint (sharpest)
Inner area is 10 × 14 (one foot off each side), filled with 2×2 tiles.
Show solution
  1. Border: 2(12) + 2(16) − 4 = 52 unit tiles (subtract 4 because each corner is shared by two sides).
  2. Interior: 10 ft × 14 ft = 140 sq ft, filled by 2×2 tiles → 140 / 4 = 35 tiles.
  3. Total: 52 + 35 = 87.
B 87 tiles.
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Problem 10 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Fractions, Decimals & Percents fraction-to-decimal evaluate-formula

The harmonic mean of a set of non-zero numbers is the reciprocal of the average of the reciprocals of the numbers. What is the harmonic mean of 1, 2, and 4?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Three steps: take reciprocals, average, take reciprocal again.
Show hint (sharpest)
Reciprocals: 1, 1/2, 1/4. Sum = 7/4. Average = 7/12. Final reciprocal: 12/7.
Show solution
  1. Reciprocals: 1, 1/2, 1/4. Sum: 1 + 1/2 + 1/4 = 7/4.
  2. Average of 3 reciprocals: (7/4)/3 = 7/12.
  3. Harmonic mean = reciprocal: 12/7.
C 12/7.
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Problem 11 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Counting & Probability careful-counting

Abby, Bridget, and four of their classmates will be seated in two rows of three for a group picture. If the seating positions are assigned randomly, what is the probability that Abby and Bridget are adjacent to each other in the same row or the same column?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Count unordered Abby-Bridget seat pairs that are adjacent. Total pairs = C(6,2) = 15.
Show hint (sharpest)
Adjacencies: 4 horizontal (two pairs per row × 2 rows) + 3 vertical (one pair per column × 3 columns) = 7.
Show solution
  1. Choose 2 seats for {Abby, Bridget}: C(6,2) = 15 unordered pairs.
  2. Adjacent pairs: horizontally 2 per row × 2 rows = 4; vertically 3 columns × 1 pair each = 3. Total 7.
  3. Probability = 7/15.
C 7/15.
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Problem 12 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Ratios, Rates & Proportions proportion ratio

The clock in Sri's car, which is not accurate, gains time at a constant rate. One day as he begins shopping he notes that his car clock and his watch (which is accurate) both say 12:00 noon. When he is done shopping, his watch says 12:30 and his car clock says 12:35. Later that day, Sri loses his watch. He looks at his car clock and it says 7:00. What is the actual time?

Show hint (soft nudge)
30 real minutes correspond to 35 car-clock minutes. Ratio: actual / car = 30/35 = 6/7.
Show hint (sharpest)
Car clock shows 7 hours = 420 car-minutes past noon. Actual = 420 × 6/7.
Show solution
  1. 30 real minutes = 35 car-clock minutes ⇒ actual = (6/7) × car-clock time.
  2. Car shows 7:00, which is 420 car-minutes past noon. Actual = 420 × 6/7 = 360 minutes = 6 hours.
  3. Actual time: 6:00.
B 6:00.
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Problem 13 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Number Theory divisibility casework

Laila took five math tests, each worth a maximum of 100 points. Laila's score on each test was an integer between 0 and 100, inclusive. Laila received the same score on the first four tests, and she received a higher score on the last test. Her average score on the five tests was 82. How many values are possible for Laila's score on the last test?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Set 4f + l = 410, with f < l ≤ 100. Get bounds on l first.
Show hint (sharpest)
Since 4f is divisible by 4 and 410 ≡ 2 (mod 4), we need l ≡ 2 (mod 4).
Show solution
  1. Average 82 over 5 tests ⇒ total = 410. Let f = first-four score, l = last. Then 4f + l = 410 with f < l ≤ 100.
  2. l > 82 (else 4f + l would need fl).
  3. Mod 4: 4f ≡ 0, 410 ≡ 2 ⇒ l ≡ 2 (mod 4). In (82, 100]: l ∈ {86, 90, 94, 98}.
  4. 4 values.
A 4 values.
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Problem 14 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Number Theory factorization digit-sum

Let N be the greatest five-digit number whose digits have a product of 120. What is the sum of the digits of N?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Greedy: maximize the leftmost digit first — biggest single digit dividing 120.
Show hint (sharpest)
120 = 8 × 15. 15 = 5 × 3. 3 = 3 × 1. Remaining slots: 1, 1. Number: 85311.
Show solution
  1. Largest digit dividing 120 is 8 (since 9 doesn't divide 120). After taking out 8: leftover product 15.
  2. Largest digit dividing 15 is 5. Leftover: 3. Largest digit dividing 3 is 3. Leftover: 1 → fill remaining digits with 1.
  3. N = 85311. Digit sum: 8 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 18.
D 18.
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Problem 15 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Geometry & Measurement area area-fraction
amc8-2018-15
Show hint (soft nudge)
Each small circle has half the big circle's radius — so 1/4 the big's area. Two of them = 1/2 of the big.
Show hint (sharpest)
Two smalls = 1 (given), so big = 2. Shaded = big − two smalls = 2 − 1.
Show solution
  1. Small radius = (big radius)/2 ⇒ small area = (big area)/4. Two smalls = (big)/2.
  2. Two smalls = 1 ⇒ big = 2.
  3. Shaded = big − two smalls = 2 − 1 = 1.
D 1 square unit.
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Problem 16 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Counting & Probability careful-counting casework

Professor Chang has nine different language books lined up on a bookshelf: two Arabic, three German, and four Spanish. How many ways are there to arrange the nine books on the shelf keeping the Arabic books together and keeping the Spanish books together?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Glue the Arabic books into one block and the Spanish books into another. Then arrange 5 objects (block-A, 3 German, block-S).
Show hint (sharpest)
5! external orderings × 2! internal Arabic × 4! internal Spanish.
Show solution
  1. Treat the 2 Arabic books as one block and the 4 Spanish books as one block. Together with the 3 German books, we have 5 objects to order: 5! = 120 ways.
  2. Inside the Arabic block: 2! = 2 orderings. Inside the Spanish block: 4! = 24 orderings.
  3. Total: 120 × 2 × 24 = 5760.
C 5760 ways.
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Problem 17 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Ratios, Rates & Proportions ratio distance-speed-time

Bella begins to walk from her house toward her friend Ella's house. At the same time, Ella begins to ride her bicycle toward Bella's house. They each maintain a constant speed, and Ella rides 5 times as fast as Bella walks. The distance between their houses is 2 miles, which is 10,560 feet, and Bella covers 2½ feet with each step. How many steps will Bella take by the time she meets Ella?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Bella : Ella speed ratio 1 : 5, so Bella covers 1/6 of the total 10,560 feet by the time they meet.
Show hint (sharpest)
Bella's distance = 1760 feet. Divide by 2.5 ft/step.
Show solution
  1. Combined speed ratio Bella : Ella = 1 : 5, so Bella covers 1/6 of the 10,560-foot distance.
  2. Bella's distance: 10,560 / 6 = 1,760 feet.
  3. Steps: 1,760 / 2.5 = 704.
A 704 steps.
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Problem 18 · 2018 AMC 8 Medium
Number Theory factorization prime-test

How many positive factors does 23,232 have?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Find the prime factorization of 23,232, then multiply (exponent + 1) for each prime.
Show hint (sharpest)
23,232 = 26 · 3 · 112.
Show solution
  1. Factor: 23,232 = 2 · 11,616 = 22 · 5,808 = … = 26 · 363 = 26 · 3 · 121 = 26 · 3 · 112.
  2. Number of factors: (6+1)(1+1)(2+1) = 7 · 2 · 3 = 42.
E 42 factors.
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Problem 19 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Counting & Probability casework careful-counting
amc8-2018-19
Show hint (soft nudge)
Encode + as 0 and − as 1. The pyramid rule "+ iff same" is exactly the XOR rule (so the cell above two cells = their XOR).
Show hint (sharpest)
The top of a 4-row pyramid = bottom XOR with Pascal-mod-2 coefficients (1, 1, 1, 1). So top = 0 iff bottom has an even number of −'s.
Show solution
  1. Encode + as 0 and − as 1. The rule ("+ iff same") makes each upper cell the XOR of the two below.
  2. After 3 layers, the top cell = bottom1 ⊕ bottom2 ⊕ bottom3 ⊕ bottom4 (the binomial coefficients 1, 3, 3, 1 are all odd).
  3. Top = + (= 0) ⇔ even number of −'s in the bottom row.
  4. Of the 24 = 16 bottom configurations, exactly half have even parity: 8.
C 8 ways.
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Problem 20 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Geometry & Measurement area-fraction area-decomposition
amc8-2018-20
Show hint (soft nudge)
DE ∥ BC means ▵ADE is similar to ▵ABC with ratio AE/AB = 1/3. Similarly ▵EFB ~ ▵ABC with ratio 2/3.
Show hint (sharpest)
Area scales as the square of the similarity ratio. The quadrilateral is what's left after removing those two triangles.
Show solution
  1. AE/AB = 1/3 ⇒ ▵ADE has area (1/3)2 = 1/9 of ▵ABC.
  2. EB/AB = 2/3 ⇒ ▵EFB has area (2/3)2 = 4/9 of ▵ABC.
  3. Quadrilateral CDEF = ABC − ADE − EFB = 1 − 1/9 − 4/9 = 4/9.
A 4/9.
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Problem 21 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Number Theory divisibility casework

How many positive three-digit integers have a remainder of 2 when divided by 6, a remainder of 5 when divided by 9, and a remainder of 7 when divided by 11?

Show hint (soft nudge)
Each remainder is exactly 4 less than the divisor (2 = 6−4, 5 = 9−4, 7 = 11−4). So x ≡ −4 mod each of them.
Show hint (sharpest)
x + 4 is divisible by lcm(6, 9, 11) = 198. Count multiples of 198 with x + 4 in [104, 1003].
Show solution
  1. 2 = 6 − 4, 5 = 9 − 4, 7 = 11 − 4 ⇒ x ≡ −4 mod 6, 9, 11 simultaneously.
  2. So x + 4 is a multiple of lcm(6, 9, 11) = 2 · 32 · 11 = 198.
  3. 100 ≤ x ≤ 999 ⇒ 104 ≤ x + 4 ≤ 1003. Multiples of 198 in that range: 198, 396, 594, 792, 990. 5 values.
E 5 integers.
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Problem 22 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Geometry & Measurement area-fraction area-decomposition
amc8-2018-22
Show hint (soft nudge)
Use similar triangles. F lies on diagonal AC, where BE crosses it. The ratio AF:FC follows from the parallel sides.
Show hint (sharpest)
AB ∥ DE? No, but consider triangles ▵BFC and ▵EFA on the diagonal AC — they're similar with ratio AB:EC = 2:1. So AF/AC = 2/3.
Show solution
  1. Let the square have side s. EC = s/2 (E midpoint of CD), and AB = s.
  2. Triangles ▵AFB and ▵CFE share vertex F on diagonal AC, with AB ∥ EC. Similar with ratio AB : EC = 2 : 1, so AF : FC = 2 : 1, meaning F is 2/3 of the way from A to C.
  3. Area of ▵CEF: take ▵BCE (area (s/2)·s/2 = s2/4) and subtract ▵BCF (similar argument). Net ▵CEF area = s2/12.
  4. Area AFED = ▵ACD − ▵CEF = s2/2 − s2/12 = 5s2/12 = 45.
  5. s2 = 108.
B Area 108.
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Problem 23 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Counting & Probability complementary-counting careful-counting
amc8-2018-23
Show hint (soft nudge)
Complement: count triangles with NO octagon-side. The three chosen vertices then have gaps ≥ 1 around the octagon.
Show hint (sharpest)
Stars and bars: with three gaps summing to 5 and each ≥ 1, there are C(4, 2) = 6 ways (with one vertex fixed). Total triangles through that fixed vertex: C(7, 2) = 21.
Show solution
  1. Fix a vertex A. Choose the other two vertices around the octagon, leaving gaps x, y, z between consecutive chosen vertices (each gap = number of skipped octagon vertices), with x + y + z = 5.
  2. Total ways: C(7, 2) = 21 (choose 2 of the remaining 7 vertices).
  3. No-side cases: each gap ≥ 1, i.e. x, y, z ≥ 1 and sum 5. Stars-and-bars: C(4, 2) = 6.
  4. P(no side on octagon) = 6/21 = 2/7. P(at least one side) = 1 − 2/7 = 5/7.
D 5/7.
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Problem 24 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Geometry & Measurement pythagorean-triple area spatial-reasoning
amc8-2018-24
Show hint (soft nudge)
EJCI is a rhombus (all four sides are equal: each connects a midpoint of one edge to an adjacent corner). Use diagonals.
Show hint (sharpest)
Diagonals: IJ = face diagonal = s√2. CE = space diagonal = s√3. Rhombus area = (1/2) · d1 · d2.
Show solution
  1. EJCI has all sides equal (each connects a corner of the cube to a midpoint of the opposite face edge), so it's a rhombus. Its diagonals are IJ and CE.
  2. IJ = face diagonal of the cube = s√2. CE = space diagonal = s√3.
  3. Area = (1/2)(s√2)(s√3) = s2√6 / 2.
  4. R = area / face = (s2√6 / 2) / s2 = √6 / 2.
  5. R2 = 6 / 4 = 3/2.
C R&sup2; = 3/2.
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Problem 25 · 2018 AMC 8 Hard
Number Theory perfect-square estimate-and-pick

How many perfect cubes lie between 28 + 1 and 218 + 1, inclusive?

Show hint (soft nudge)
218 = (26)3 = 643. So cubes ≤ 218 + 1 means base ≤ 64.
Show hint (sharpest)
28 = 256, 28 + 1 = 257. The next cube above 257 is 73 = 343 (since 63 = 216).
Show solution
  1. Upper end: 218 = (26)3 = 643, so 643 ≤ 218 + 1 ✓. Cubes at base ≥ 65 exceed the range.
  2. Lower end: 63 = 216 < 257 = 28 + 1, but 73 = 343 ≥ 257 ✓. Smallest valid base: 7.
  3. Count integers from 7 to 64 inclusive: 64 − 7 + 1 = 58.
E 58 cubes.
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