Practice (TheColoringMethod)

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Right $\triangle ABC$ has $AB=3, BC=4,$ and $AC=5.$ Square $XYZW$ is inscribed in $\triangle ABC$ with $X$ and $Y$ on $\overline{AC}, W$ on $\overline{AB},$ and $Z$ on $\overline{BC}.$ What is the side length of the square?

A player chooses one of the numbers $1$ through $4$. After the choice has been made, two regular four-sided (tetrahedral) dice are rolled, with the sides of the dice numbered $1$ through $4.$ If the number chosen appears on the bottom of exactly one die after it has been rolled, then the player wins $1$ dollar. If the number chosen appears on the bottom of both of the dice, then the player wins $2$ dollars. If the number chosen does not appear on the bottom of either of the dice, the player loses $1$ dollar. What is the expected return to the player, in dollars, for one roll of the dice?

A pyramid with a square base is cut by a plane that is parallel to its base and $2$ units from the base. The surface area of the smaller pyramid that is cut from the top is half the surface area of the original pyramid. What is the altitude of the original pyramid?

Let $n$ denote the smallest positive integer that is divisible by both $4$ and $9,$ and whose base-$10$ representation consists of only $4$'s and $9$'s, with at least one of each. What are the last four digits of $n?$

How many pairs of positive integers (a,b) are there such that $a$ and $b$ have no common factors greater than 1 and: $\frac{a}{b} + \frac{14b}{9a}$ is an integer?

Sandwiches at Joe's Fast Food cost \$3 each and sodas cost \$2 each. How many dollars will it cost to purchase $5$ sandwiches and $8$ sodas?

Define $x\otimes y=x^3-y$. What is $h\otimes (h\otimes h)$?

The ratio of Mary's age to Alice's age is $3:5$. Alice is $30$ years old. How old is Mary?

A digital watch displays hours and minutes with AM and PM. What is the largest possible sum of the digits in the display?

Doug and Dave shared a pizza with $8$ equally-sized slices. Doug wanted a plain pizza, but Dave wanted anchovies on half the pizza. The cost of a plain pizza was $8$ dollars, and there was an additional cost of $2$ dollars for putting anchovies on one half. Dave ate all the slices of anchovy pizza and one plain slice. Doug ate the remainder. Each paid for what he had eaten. How many more dollars did Dave pay than Doug?

What non-zero real value for $x$ satisfies $(7x)^{14}=(14x)^7$?

The $8\times18$ rectangle $ABCD$ is cut into two congruent hexagons, as shown, in such a way that the two hexagons can be repositioned without overlap to form a square. What is $y$?


A parabola with equation $y=x^2+bx+c$ passes through the points $(2,3)$ and $(4,3)$. What is $c$?

How many sets of two or more consecutive positive integers have a sum of $15$?

For how many real values of $x$ is $\sqrt{120-\sqrt{x}}$ an integer?

Which of the following describes the graph of the equation $(x+y)^2=x^2+y^2$?

Rolly wishes to secure his dog with an 8-foot rope to a square shed that is 16 feet on each side. His preliminary drawings are shown.

Which of these arrangements give the dog the greater area to roam, and by how many square feet?


A player pays $\$ 5$ to play a game. A die is rolled. If the number on the die is odd, the game is lost. If the number on the die is even, the die is rolled again. In this case the player wins if the second number matches the first and loses otherwise. How much should the player win if the game is fair? (In a fair game the probability of winning times the amount won is what the player should pay.)

A number of linked rings, each 1 cm thick, are hanging on a peg. The top ring has an outside diameter of 20 cm. The outside diameter of each of the outer rings is 1 cm less than that of the ring above it. The bottom ring has an outside diameter of 3 cm. What is the distance, in cm, from the top of the top ring to the bottom of the bottom ring?


Odell and Kershaw run for 30 minutes on a circular track. Odell runs clockwise at 250 m/min and uses the inner lane with a radius of 50 meters. Kershaw runs counterclockwise at 300 m/min and uses the outer lane with a radius of 60 meters, starting on the same radial line as Odell. How many times after the start do they pass each other?

A circle of radius 1 is tangent to a circle of radius 2. The sides of $\triangle ABC$ are tangent to the circles as shown, and the sides $\overline{AB}$ and $\overline{AC}$ are congruent. What is the area of $\triangle ABC$?


In rectangle $ADEH$, points $B$ and $C$ trisect $\overline{AD}$, and points $G$ and $F$ trisect $\overline{HE}$. In addition, $AH=AC=2$. What is the area of quadrilateral $WXYZ$ shown in the figure?


A license plate in a certain state consists of 4 digits, not necessarily distinct, and 2 letters, also not necessarily distinct. These six characters may appear in any order, except that the two letters must appear next to each other. How many distinct license plates are possible?

How many non-similar triangles have angles whose degree measures are distinct positive integers in arithmetic progression?

Six distinct positive integers are randomly chosen between $1$ and $2020$, inclusive. What is the probability that some pair of these integers has a difference that is a multiple of $5$?