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CEMC Pascal

Algebra Difficulty 1.4 Junior Find the answer

What is the smallest integer that can be placed in the box so that 12<□9\frac{1}{2} < \frac{\square}{9}?

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

We know that 12=0.5\frac{1}{2} = 0.5. Since 49≈0.44\frac{4}{9} \approx 0.44 is less than 12=0.5\frac{1}{2} = 0.5, then 4 cannot be placed in the box. (No integer smaller than 4 can be placed in the box either.) Since 59≈0.56\frac{5}{9} \approx 0.56 is greater than 12=0.5\frac{1}{2} = 0.5, then the smallest integer that can be placed in the box is 5.

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