Maths Olympiad Prep

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, 2014

Algebra Difficulty 1.4 Junior Find the answer Canada

Consider the set {0.34,0.304,0.034,0.43}\{0.34,0.304,0.034,0.43\}. The sum of the smallest and largest numbers in the set is

Pick one

Solution

Since each of the numbers in the set is between 0 and 1, then the tenths digit of each number contributes more to its value than any of its other digits.

The largest tenths digit of the given numbers is 4, and so 0.430.43 is the largest number in the set.

The smallest tenths digit of the given numbers is 0, so 0.0340.034 is the smallest number in the set.
Therefore, the sum of the smallest number in the set and the largest number in the set is 0.034+0.43=0.4640.034+0.43=0.464.

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