First Round : March 31, 2012

Second Round: April 28, 2012 at The University of Alabama

DIVISION III COMPREHENSIVE EXAM

Construction of this test directed
by
Greg Knese and Robert Moore, The University of Alabama

INSTRUCTIONS

This test consists of 50 multiple choice questions. The questions have not been arranged in order of difficulty.
For each question, choose the best of the five answer choices labeled A, B, C, D, and E.

The test will be scored as follows: 5 points for each correct answer, 1 point for each question left unanswered,
and 0 points for each wrong answer. (Thus a “perfect paper” with all questions answered correctly earns a
score of 250, a blank paper earns a score of 50, and a paper with all questions answered incorrectly earns a
score of 0.)

Random guessing will not, on average, either increase or decrease your score. However, if you can eliminate
one of more of the answer choices as wrong, then it is to your advantage to guess among the remaining
choices.

• All variables and constants, except those indicated otherwise, represent real numbers.
• Diagrams are not necessarily to scale.
We use the following geometric notation:

• If A and B are points, then: • If A is an angle, then:

AB is the segment between A and B
←→
AB is the line containing A and B
−−→
AB is the ray from A through B
AB is the distance between A and B
m ∠ A is the measure of angle A in degrees
• If A and B are points on a circle, then:
⌢
AB is the arc between A and B
⌢ ⌢
m AB is the measure of AB in degrees

Editing by Zhijian Wu, The University of Alabama

Printing by The University of Alabama
 Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs
Mathematicians Land Top Spot in New Ranking of Best and Worst Occupations in the U.S.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL January 5, 2011

The Best The Worst

1. Software Engineer 200. Roustabout
2. Mathematician 199. Ironworker
3. Actuary 198. Lumberjack
4. Statistician 197. Roofer196. Taxi Driver
5. Computer Systems Analyst 195. EMT
6. Meteorologist 194. Welder
7. Biologist 193. Construction Worker
8. Historian 192. Meter Reader
9. Audiologist 191. Painter
10. Dental Hygienist 190. Stevedore
11. Sociologist 189. Seaman
12. Accountant13. Paralegal Assistant 188. Reporter
14. Physicist 187. Sheet Metal Worker
15. Financial Planner 186. Child Care Worker
16. Philosopher 185. Photojournalist
17. Occupational Therapist 184. Dairy Farmer
18. Parole Officer 183. Automobile Mechanic
19. Aerospace Engineer 182. Butcher
20. Economist 181. Plasterer

What You Can Do With A Mathematics Major

Occupational opportunities
Actuarial and Insurance Government Accountant
Computer & Information Sciences Investment Analyst Financial Planner
Researcher Benefits Specialist Mathematician
Demographers Computer Programmer Cartographer
Data Processor Navigator Meteorologist
Applications Programmer Ecologist Health
Systems Analyst Biomedical Engineer Bio-mathematician
Computer Applications Engineer Operations Analyst Operations Research
Control Systems Engineer Control Systems Engineer Systems Engineer
Numerical Analyst Teaching BusinessIndustry
Statistician Engineering Analyst Financial Analyst
Technical Writer Homeland Security Communications Engineer

Study in the field of mathematics offers an education with an emphasis on careful problem analysis, pre-
cision of thought and expression, and the mathematical skills needed for work in many other areas. Many
important problems in government, private industry, health and environmental fields, and the academic
world require sophisticated mathematical techniques for their solution. The study of mathematics provides
specific analytical and quantitative tools, as well as general problem-solving skills, for dealing with these
problems. The University of Alabama offers undergraduate and graduates degrees in Mathematics. Please
visit www.math.ua.edu and refer to the undergraduate and graduate programs for additional information.
1. Lucy drives up a 10-mile hill at 30 miles per hour and drives down at 50 miles per hour. What is her
average speed for the trip?
1 1
(A) 40 mph (B) 37 mph (C) 43 mph (D) 35 mph (E) 45 mph
2 2

2. If i2 = −1 and if (x + iy)4 = −16, then x must be

(A) either +1 or −1 (B) either +2 or −2
√ √ 1 1
(C) either + 2 or − 2 (D) either + √ or − √ (E) 0
2 2

3. In the figure below, the rectangle is 3 × 4 and each corner of the parallelogram
is a distance 1 from the nearest corner of the rectangle. What is the area of the
parallelogram?
√
(A) 7 (B) 5 (C) 50 (D) 6 (E) 8

4. The polynomials x4 − 5x3 + 5x2 + 5x − 6 and x4 + 6x3 + 9x2 − 4x − 12 have a common factor. What
is it?
(A) (x − 2) (B) (x + 1) (C) x−1 (D) x + 2 (E) none of these

   
a   |a| 
5. If 2a + b = 0, evaluate  − 1+ − 2.
|b| b
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 5

6. A pencil is essentially a cylinder surmounted by a cone. The cylinder has radius 2 mm and is 15 cm
long. The length of the entire pencil is 16 cm. In cubic millimeters, what is the volume of the pencil?
414π 1460π 1440π 1400π 1840π
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
3 3 3 3 3

7. The factorial symbol is defined for positive integers m by m! = m(m − 1)(m − 2) · · · (2)(1). If k is a
very large number, then the product
(2k)! (3k)!
(k)! (4k)!
is closest to which of the following numbers?
1 3
(A) (B) 0 (C) 1 (D) (E) 2
2 2

x
8. An “H Operation” is defined as follows: H(x) = 3x + 13 if x is odd, and H(x) = if x is even. Find
2
H(H(3)).
(A) 9 (B) 10 (C) 11 (D) 12 (E) 13
 9. Five women have lunch together, seated around a circular table. Ms. Osborne is sitting between Ms.
Lewis and Ms. Martin. Ellen is sitting between Cathy and Ms. Norris. Ms. Lewis is between Ellen
and Alice. Cathy and Doris are sisters. Betty is seated with Ms. Parkes on her left and Ms. Martin
on her right.
What is Ms. Martin’s first name?
(A) Alice (B) Betty (C) Cathy (D) Doris (E) Ellen

10. You’re bored during math class, so you start doodling. You draw two lines M
L and M at a 45◦ angle. From a point on L a distance 1 away from the
intersection, you draw a line perpendicular to line M . From that point,
you draw a new line perpendicular to L. From there, you draw a line
perpendicular to M . You keep doing this, and, after class, you begin to L
wonder what the total length of the new lines (not including L and M ) 1
would have been if you could keep doing it forever. What is the answer?
√
1 √ 2
(A) ∞ (B) √ (C) 2 (D) 2 (E) √
2−1 2−1

11. The polynomial p(x) = x4 − 11x3 + 43x2 − x − 1 has

(A) one negative real root and three positive real roots.(B) two negative real roots and two positive real roots
(C) four positive real roots(D) two real roots and two non-real complex roots (E) all the roots are complex

12. What is the perimeter of a right triangle with hypotenuse H and area A?
√ √
(A) H + H 2 + 4A (B) H 2 +H + 2A
√ √ √
(C) H + H + 2A (D) H 2 + H 2 + 4A (E) H + H + A

13. A “hundred-year” flood is defined as a flood of such a magnitude that the probability of its occurrence
in any given year is 0.01. What is the probability that a 70-year old man has seen at least one hundred-
year flood in his lifetime?
(A) 0.70 (B) (0.01)70 (C) 1 − (0.01)70 (D) 1 − (0.99)70 (E) 1

14. In a 10-mile race, Alice beats Bob by 2 miles and Alice beats Carol by 4 miles. By how many miles
does Bob beat Carol?
1 1 3
(A) 2 (B) 2 (C) 2 (D) 2 (E) 3
4 2 4

1 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3 4
15. What is the 100th term of the sequence , , , , , , , , , ,··· ?
1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4
8 9 11 9 10
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
10 10 12 14 14

( )
16. What is the value of log8 4 log8 (64) ?
(A) log8 (40) (B) 2 (C) 16 (D) 32 (E) 1
17. If y 2 + my + 2 is divided by y + 1 or by y − 1, the remainders are equal. What is m?
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) −1 (E) the answer cannot be determined

18. In how many zeroes does the number (25)! end?

(A) 5 (B) 6 (C) 7 (D) 8 (E) 10

19. The 1-capsule of a plane figure P consists of all points that are at a distance no greater than 1 from
some point in P. (For instance, the 1-capsule of a circular disk of radius r is a concentric disk of
radius r + 1.) If R is a solid rectangle of dimensions 3 by 5, what is the area of the 1-capsule of R?
17π
(A) 15 (B) 15 + π (C) 31 (D) 31 + π (E)
2

20. How many ways are there to rearrange the letters of the word ARKANSAS ?
8! 8! 8! 28
(A) (B) (C) (D) 8! (E)
2! 3! 2 2·3 2! 3!

mi ft
21. If a car is accelerating at 1000 2 , what is that in sec2 ?
hr
132 9 11 27
(A) (B) 5, 280, 000 (C) (D) (E)
9 132 27 11

22. Lines AC and CE are 30 units long and are perpendicular. Connect point A A

to the midpoint D of CE and connect point E to the midpoint B of AC. Let

F be the point of intersection of AD and EB. The area of triangle DF E is: B
F
√ 15 √
(A) 50 (B) 50 2 (C) 75 (D) 105 (E) 100
2
C D E

23. How many distinct ways are there to fill up a 3 × 3 grid with the numbers 1, 2, and 2 1 3
3, so that no digit appears twice in the same row or the same column? One example 1 3 2
is shown below. 3 2 1
(A) 4 (B) 6 (C) 8 (D) 12 (E) 24

C
24. In the triangle below, D is the midpoint of BC and DE is perpendicular to AC.
AB = 3, BC = 4, and AC = 5. What is the length of the segment DE? E

1√
D
6 10 15 8
(A) (B) (C) 41 (D) (E)
5 3 2 8 15
A B

tan(2x) − 2 tan x
25. Write the expression in terms of trigonometric functions of x.
tan(2x) + 2 tan x
2 + tan2 x 1 − tan2 x sec2 x 2 sec2 x
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) none of these answers
2 − tan2 x 2 − tan2 x 2 − sec x
2 1 − sec2 x
26. If the side length of a square is doubled, then the area is increased by how much?
(A) 500% (B) 400% (C) 300% (D) 200% (E) 100%

27. 45 doughnuts are shared among three friends in parts proportional to 2, 5, and 8. The person with
the smallest number of doughnuts has:
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 6

28. Two trains start 30 miles apart on the same track and head toward each other, each moving at 20
miles per hour. At the same time, a fly starts from a perch on the nose of one train and flies toward
the other train at 30 miles per hour. As soon as the fly reaches the other train, he instantly turns
around and heads back toward the first train; reaching it, he again turns around and flies back, always
at 30 miles per hour. He continues in this fashion until he is crushed when the two trains meet. Yuck.
What was the total distance traveled by the fly?
1
(A) 50 miles (B) 30 miles (C) 25 miles (D) 22 miles (E) 20 miles
2

29. If m is a perfect square, then the next larger perfect square is:
√ √
(A) m + 1 (B) m2 + 1 (C) m2 + 2m + 1 (D) m+1 (E) m+2 m+1

30. The radius of a circle is 12. Chord C lies in the circle and is a perpendicular bisector of a radius.
How long is the chord C?
√ √ √
(A) 3 3 (B) 27 (C) 6 3 (D) 12 3 (E) none of these answers.

31. A straight line joins the points (3, 9) and (−1, 1). Determine the x intercept of the line.
3 2 3
(A) (B) 3 (C) − (D) 2 (E) −
2 3 2

32. Given two positive numbers x and y, we can define the arithmetic mean: A = 1/2(x + y); or the
√ 2xy
geometric mean: G = xy; or the harmonic mean: H = . Which of the following statements
x+y
will be true for all x > 0 and y > 0?
(A) H≤G≤A (B) A ≤ G ≤ H (C) G ≤ H ≤ A
(D) G ≤ A ≤ H (E) G ≤ A but H could be larger or smaller than either.

C
33. ABC is a right triangle, with right angle at C. CH is an altitude of the
triangle, and CM is a median of the triangle. Together, CH and CM
trisect the right angle BCA. If the area of triangle CHM is K, what is
the area of triangle ABC?
√ √ A H M B
(A) 6K (B) 4 3K (C) 3 3K (D) 3K (E) 4K
34. How many statements on the card below are false?

a. Exactly 4 statements on this card are false.

b. Exactly 3 statements on this card are false.
c. Exactly 2 statements on this card are false.
d. Exactly 1 statement on this card is false.

(A) 4 (B) 3 (C) 2 (D) 1 (E) cannot be determined

35. If (x2 + 2xy + y 2 )7 is expanded completely, then the sum of the numerical coefficients is:

(A) 214 (B) 214 − 1 (C) 27 (D) 0 (E) 27 − 1

( )
1
36. Suppose that f (x) is defined for all values of x > 0 and suppose that f (x) + f = 0 for all x > 0.
x
What is f (2)?
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 3 (E) there is not enough information to solve the problem.

37. Triangles T1 and T2 are congruent 30◦ − 60◦ − 90◦ triangles, with hypotenuse 12. The triangles are
placed so that their hypotenuses coincide, and they overlap partly. what is the area common to both
triangles?
√ √ √ √
(A) 6 3 (B) 8 3 (C) 9 3 (D) 12 3 (E) 24

38. A number of 40 students chose physics and chemistry. If 18 of them chose physics, 18 chose chemistry,
and 8 chose both physics and chemistry. How many students chose nothing?
(A) 11 (B) 12 (C) 13 (D) 14 (E) 15

39. The diagonals of a parallelogram have lengths 4 and 6. What is the area of the parallelogram?
(A) 24 (B) 25 (C) 20.5 (D) 12 (E) There is not enough information to answer this question.

√
4
27
40. Evaluate log3 .
3
1 1 1 1
(A) 1 (B) − (C) − (D) − (E) −
2 4 8 16

∑13
1 ∑ 1
14
41. Find the value of − .
i=1
i2 i=2 i2

1 195 197 13
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) 1
196 196 196 14

42. Assume f (x) = a sin 2x + b tan x + 1. If f (−3) = 5, find the value of f (π + 3).
(A) −3 (B) −5 (C) 3 (D) 5 (E) 1
43. If 3 men can load 21 trucks in 14 hours, how many hours will it take 5 men to load 20 trucks? Assume
that all the men work at the same speed and do not interfere with each other.
2 2 1 1
(A) 22 (B) 8 (C) 7 (D) 24 (E) 8
9 5 2 2

44. Find the unit digit of the number

2007 × 2008 × 2009 + 2008 × 2009 × 2010 + 2009 × 2010 × 2011 + 2010 × 2011 × 2012.
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) 5

45. Each edge of a rectangular solid is increased by 50%. The percent of increase in the surface area is:
(A) 50% (B) 100% (C) 125% (D) 237.5% (E) 300%

46. If p is the perimeter of an equilateral triangle inscribed in a circle, then the area of the circle is:
√
πp2 πp2 πp2 πp2 πp2 3
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
3 9 27 81 27

47. Solve the equation 9x − 3x = 30 for x.

ln 6 ln 30 ln 3 ln 6 ln 5
(A) (B) (C) (D) 3 (E) or
ln 3 ln 3 ln 6 ln 3 ln 3

48. What is the largest possible value of the function 5 sin x + 12 cos x?
√
(A) 12 (B) 13 (C) 17 (D) 14 (E) 119

49. Two circles of radius 1 are positioned so that each circle passes through the center of the other. What
is the area of the overlap of the two disks?
2π 1 √ π 1√ 2π 1 π √ 2π √
(A) − 3 (B) − 3 (C) − (D) − 3 (E) − 3
3 2 3 2 3 2 3 3

50. If the graphs of 4y + 2x + 6 = 0 and 6y + ax + 4 = 0 are to meet at right angles, then the value of a is
2
(A) −6 (B) −12 (C) (D) 12 (E) 6
3