Olympiad Maths Prep

Track / Stage 3 / 84 of 260 #84 of 2000

Problem 84

AMC 10/12, early questions
Number theory Difficulty 3.4 Find the answer

Among the real numbers 22, 00, 5\sqrt{5}, π3\frac{π}{3}, 273\sqrt[3]{27}, 0.10100100010.1010010001\ldots (with one more 00 between every two 11's), the number of irrational numbers is ( ).

A: 11

B: 22

C: 33

D: 44

Official solution

To determine the number of irrational numbers among the given set, we analyze each number individually:

1. The number 22 is an integer, and all integers are rational numbers because they can be expressed as a fraction a1\frac{a}{1}, where aa is an integer. Therefore, 22 is rational.

2. The number 00 is also an integer, and by the same reasoning as above, it is rational.

3. The number 5\sqrt{5} cannot be expressed as a fraction of two integers, as there are no two integers whose ratio squared equals 55. Therefore, 5\sqrt{5} is irrational.

4. The number π3\frac{\pi}{3} involves π\pi, which is a well-known irrational number. Since the ratio of an irrational number to a rational number (in this case, 33) remains irrational, π3\frac{\pi}{3} is irrational.

5. The number 273=3\sqrt[3]{27} = 3 is the cube root of 2727, which equals 33. Since 33 is an integer, it is rational.

6. The number 0.10100100010.1010010001\ldots (with one more 00 between every two 11's) represents an infinite, non-repeating decimal. This pattern does not repeat in a regular manner that would allow it to be expressed as a fraction of two integers. Therefore, it is irrational.

Summarizing the findings:

- Rational numbers: 22, 00, 273=3\sqrt[3]{27} = 3
- Irrational numbers: 5\sqrt{5}, π3\frac{\pi}{3}, 0.10100100010.1010010001\ldots

Thus, the total number of irrational numbers in the given set is 33.

Therefore, the correct answer is C\boxed{C}.

Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic, difficulty and ordering added by this site.