Maths Olympiad Prep

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, 2024

Algebra Difficulty 1.3 Junior Find the answer Canada

A hiker is exploring a trail. The trail has three sections: the
first 25%25\% of the trail is along a
river, the next 58\frac{5}{8} of the
trail is through a forest, and the remaining 33 km of the trail is up a hill. How long
is the trail?

Pick one

Solution

Solution 1:

The sequence repeats every 55
symbols, and 23=4×5+323=4\times5+3. Thus,
the sequence of 55 symbols repeats
44 times, and 33 additional symbols follow. The 3rd
symbol in the sequence is \boxtimes, and thus the 23rd symbol is
\boxtimes.

Solution 2:

If the sequence of 55 symbols is
repeated 44 times, then 5×4=205\times4=20 symbols are written.
Following this, 33 more symbols are
needed to reach 2323, and since the
3rd symbol in the sequence is \boxtimes, the 23rd symbol is \boxtimes.

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Source: CEMC, University of Waterloo, licensed CC-BY-NC-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.