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SASMO 2015 Secondary 4 Contest
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Please DO NOT OPEN the contest booklet until the Proctor has given permission to
start.
2. TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes.
5. PROCTORING: No one may help any student in any way during the contest.
8. All students must fill and shade in their Name, Index number, Class and School in
the answer sheet and contest booklet.
9. MINIMUM TIME: Students must stay in the exam hall at least 1h 15 min.
10. Students must show detailed working and transfer answers to the answer sheet.
11. No exam papers and written notes can be taken out by any contestant.
10
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Starting Score = 15 marks (to avoid negative marks); Max Possible Score = 85
marks
1. The diagram shows two overlapping squares. The length of the bigger square
is 14 cm and the length of the smaller square is 7 cm. Find the difference
between the area of the two unshaded regions X and Y.
X
Y
________________________________________________________________
(a) 3
(b) 7
(c) 10
(d) 17
(e) None of the above
12
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
1
(a) 2
<𝑘<1
1
(b) 𝑘< or 𝑘 > 1
2
(c) 0<𝑘<1
(d) 𝑘>1
(e) None of the above
________________________________________________________________
(a) 4
(b) 7
(c) 8
(d) 9
(e) None of the above
13
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
5. In the figure below, the ratio of the trapezium ABCD to the area of the
1
triangle DEF to the area of parallelogram GHJK is 4 : 2 : 3. Given that 3 of the
area of ∆DEF is shaded, find the ratio of the area of the shaded region to the
total area of the unshaded regions of the figure.
B C
F
G H
A D
E
K J
(a) 2 : 11
(b) 2 : 17
(c) 2 : 21
(d) 2 : 27
(e) None of the above
________________________________________________________________
14
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
7. A big cube is made up of 125 small cubes. All the faces of the big cube are
then painted. How many of the small cubes have no painted face?
(a) 1
(b) 8
(c) 27
(d) 64
(e) None of the above
________________________________________________________________
sin 𝐵
8. In ABC, AB = 14 cm, BC = 10 cm and AC = 7 cm. Find the value of .
sin 𝐶
(a) 0.5
(b) 1
(c) 2
(d) Cannot be found
(e) None of the above
15
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
9. All the match sticks in the diagram are identical. Find the total number of
squares in the diagram?
(a) 6
(b) 7
(c) 8
(d) 9
(e) None of the above
________________________________________________________________
10. Given that 𝑥𝑦𝑧 = 2015, and 𝑥 , 𝑦 and 𝑧 are positive integers, how many
possible triples (𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧) are there?
(a) 5
(b) 15
(c) 27
(d) 2015
(e) None of the above
16
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
𝑥
11. Given that 8 𝑥 12 and 4 𝑦 2, find the least possible value of 𝑦.
(a) 4
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 6
(e) 12
________________________________________________________________
12. How many four-digit numbers of the form X56Y are divisible by 24?
(a) 1
(b) 3
(c) 4
(d) 6
(e) 8
17
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
(a) 616
(b) 5544
(c) 22 176
(d) 88 704
(e) None of the above
________________________________________________________________
14. Johnny has 35 toys. He divides them into 5 piles so that each pile has a
different number of toys. Find the smallest possible number of toys in the
biggest pile.
(a) 7
(b) 8
(c) 9
(d) 10
(e) None of the above
18
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
15. The diagram shows a circle with two chords AB and CD intersecting at E.
Given that AE = 12 cm, BE = 3 cm and CE = 9 cm, find the length of DE.
C
9
3 B
12 E
D
A
(a) 2 cm
(b) 3 cm
(c) 4 cm
(d) 6 cm
(e) None of the above
________________________________________________________________
16. A man buys 30 metres of fence to build a rectangular garden at the back of
his house. He uses the wall XY at the back of his house as one side of the
garden ABCD as shown in the diagram below. Find the largest possible area
of the garden.
wall
X Y
A D
B C
19
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
7 11
17. In a school hall, of the chairs are arranged in rows of 5, and of the chairs
31 31
are arranged in rows of 13. The rest of the chairs are stacked up. If there are
less than 4000 chairs in the hall, find the total number of chairs in the hall.
________________________________________________________________
18. Polite numbers are numbers that can be expressed as the sum of two or more
consecutive positive integers, e.g.
5 = 2 + 3;
9 = 2 + 3 + 4 = 4 + 5.
20
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
________________________________________________________________
20. The figure shows a circle with 4 points on its circumference. Each point is
joined to every other point by a line (called a chord). The chords divide the
circle into 8 regions.
Find the maximum number of regions formed by the chords for a circle with 7
points.
21
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
21. Find the values of 𝑘 for which the equation 𝑘𝑥 2 2015𝑥 + (𝑘 – 2015) = 0 has
one positive and one negative root.
________________________________________________________________
22. A circle and a triangle are drawn on a rectangular sheet of paper. What is the
biggest number of regions that can be formed on the paper?
22
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
23. 2
3
4
Find the sum of the coefficients in the expansion of 6 x 5 x 2 3 2 x x .
2
________________________________________________________________
24. Albert and Bernard just become friends with Cheryl, and they want to know
when her birthday is. Cheryl gives them a list of 10 possible dates.
Cheryl then tells Albert and Bernard separately the month and the day of her
birthday respectively.
Albert: I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but I know that Bernard
does not know too.
Bernard: At first I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but I know now.
Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl’s birthday is.
23
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
END OF PAPER
24
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
1. The diagram shows two overlapping squares. The length of the bigger square is 14 cm
and the length of the smaller square is 7 cm. Find the difference between the area of
the two unshaded regions X and Y.
X
Y
Solution
2. In a class of 40 students, 7 study both Physics and Chemistry, 16 study Physics and 14
study Chemistry. How many students do not study either Physics or Chemistry?
(a) 3
(b) 7
(c) 10
(d) 17 [Ans: 40 9 7 7]
(e) None of the above
Solution
No. of students who study both Physics (P) and Chemistry (C) = 7
No. of students who study Physics only = 16 7 = 9
No. of students who study Chemistry only = 14 7 = 7
No. of students who do not study either Physics or Chemistry
= 40 9 7 7 = 17
25
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
P C
9 7 7
10
3. Find the range of values of k if the curve y = kx2 2x + (2k – 1) lies completely above
the x-axis.
1
(a) 2<k<1
1
(b) k < 2 or k > 1
(c) 0<k<1
(d) k > 1 [Ans]
(e) None of the above
Solution
If the curve y = kx2 2x + (2k – 1) lies completely above the x-axis, then b2 – 4ac < 0.
4 – 4k(2k – 1) < 0
1 – k(2k – 1) < 0
1 – 2k2 + k < 0
2k2 – k – 1 > 0
(2k + 1)(k – 1) > 0
1
k < 2 or k > 1
But the coefficient of x2 must be positive for y = kx2 2x + (2k – 1) to lie completely
above the x-axis.
k > 1.
26
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Solution
Method 1
1st number = 10 + 10 + 10 + … + 10 + 9 (it does not matter how many 10s are there)
2nd number = 10 + 10 + 10 + … + 10 + 8 (it does not matter how many 10s are there)
Sum of first two numbers = 10 + 10 + 10 + … + 10 + 17
= 10 + 10 + 10 + … + 10 + 10 + 7
3 number = 12 sum of first two numbers
rd
Method 2
Let the first number be 10x + 9 and the second number be 10y + 8, where x and y are
whole numbers.
Then the sum of the first two numbers is (10x + 9) + (10y + 8) = 10(x + y) + 17
= 10(x + y + 1) + 7 = 10z + 7 for some whole number z.
Thus the third number is 12(10z +7) = 120z + 84 = 120z + 80 + 4 = 10(12z + 8) + 4
= 10w + 4 for some whole number w.
when the third number is divided by 10, the remainder is 4.
5. In the figure below, the ratio of the trapezium ABCD to the area of the triangle DEF
1
to the area of parallelogram GHJK is 4 : 2 : 3. Given that of the area of DEF is
3
shaded, find the ratio of the area of the shaded region to the total area of the unshaded
regions of the figure.
B C
F
G H
A D
E
K J
(a) 2 : 11
(b) 2 : 17 [Ans]
(c) 2 : 21
(d) 2 : 27
(e) None of the above
27
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Solution
Since the number 2, in the ratio 4 : 2 : 3, is not divisible by 3, we use the equivalent
ratio 12 : 6 : 9 because 6 is divisible by 3.
Let the area of DEF be 6 units.
1
Area of shaded region = 6 = 2 units
3
Area of trapezium ABCD = 12 units
Area of parallelogram GHJK = 9 units
Area of trapezium ABCD that is unshaded = 12 2 = 10 units
Area of parallelogram GHJK that is unshaded = 9 2 = 7 units
Total area of unshaded regions = 10 + 7 = 17 units
ratio of area of shaded region to total area of unshaded regions = 2 : 17
Solution
3 real and distinct roots (when the curve cuts the x-axis at 3 distinct points)
2 real and equal roots, and another distinct real root (when the curve just
touches the x-axis at 1 point, which gives rise to 2 real and equal roots; and the
curve cuts the x-axis at another point)
1 real root and 2 non-real roots (when the curve cuts the x-axis at only 1 point)
7. A big cube is made up of 125 small cubes. All the faces of the big cube are then
painted. How many of the small cubes have no painted face?
(a) 1
(b) 8
(c) 27 [Ans: 33 = 27]
(d) 64
(e) None of the above
28
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Solution
sin 𝐵
8. In ABC, AB = 14 cm, BC = 10 cm and AC = 7 cm. Find the value of .
sin 𝐶
Solution
sin 𝐵 sin 𝐶
Using Sine Rule, = , where b = AC = 7 and c = AB = 14.
𝑏 𝑐
sin 𝐵 sin 𝐶 sin 𝐵 7 𝟏
= , i.e. = = or 0.5
7 14 sin 𝐶 14 𝟐
9. All the match sticks in the diagram are identical. Find the total number of squares in
the diagram?
(a) 6
(b) 7
(c) 8 [Ans]
(d) 9
(e) None of the above
Solution
No. of 1 1 squares = 5
No. of 2 2 squares = 2
No. of 3 3 squares = 1
total no. of squares = 8
29
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
10. Given that xyz = 2015, and x, y and z are positive integers, how many possible triples
(x, y, z) are there?
(a) 5
(b) 15
(c) 27 [Ans]
(d) 2015
(e) None of the above
Solution
(a) 4
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 6 [Ans]
(e) 12
Solution
Because the values of x and y can be negative, we have to test different combinations
of the greatest and least possible values of x and y as follow:
−8
=2
−4
−8
=4
−2
12
= 3
−4
12
= 6
−2
𝑥
least possible value of = 6
𝑦
30
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
12. How many four-digit numbers of the form X56Y are divisible by 24?
(a) 1
(b) 3
(c) 4
(d) 6 [Ans: 1560, 4560, 7560, 2568, 5568, 8568]
(e) 8
Solution
(a) 616
(b) 5544 [Ans]
(c) 22 176
(d) 88 704
(e) None of the above
Solution
1540 = 22 5 7 11
1440 = 25 32 5
Possible lengths of the square tiles must be factors of both 1540 cm and 1440 cm.
Greatest possible length of the square tiles = HCF of 1540 cm and 1440 cm
= 22 5
= 20 cm
The least possible number of square tiles occurs when the square tiles are the largest.
1540×1440
least possible number of square tiles =
20×20
31
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
22 ×5×7×11×25 ×32 ×5
=
22 ×5×22 ×5
= 7 11 23 32
= 5544
14. Johnny has 35 toys. He divides them into 5 piles so that each pile has a different
number of toys. Find the smallest possible number of toys in the biggest pile.
(a) 7
(b) 8
(c) 9 [Ans]
(d) 10
(e) None of the above
Solution
For each pile to have a different number of toys, and the biggest pile to have the
smallest possible number of toys, put 1 toy in the 1st pile, 2 toys in the 2nd pile, 3
toys in the 3rd pile, 4 toys in the 4th pile and 5 toys in the 5th pile. So the biggest pile
is the 5th pile, but there are only 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15 toys.
The 16th toy will have to go to the 5th pile so that each pile will have a different
number of toys. The 17th toy cannot go to the 5th pile because we want to find the
smallest possible number of toys in the biggest pile, so the 17th toy will have to go
to the 4th pile. Similarly, the 18th, 19th and 20th toys will go to the 3rd, 2nd and 1st
piles respectively.
The 21st toy will then go to the 5th pile again, and the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th toys will
go to the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st piles respectively.
Similarly, the 26th to 30th toys will go to the 5th to 1st piles respectively.
Similarly, the 31st to 35th toys will also go to the 5th to 1st piles respectively.
the largest pile (which is the 5th pile) will contain 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 9 toys.
32
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
15. The diagram shows a circle with two chords AB and CD intersecting at E. Given that
AE = 12 cm, BE = 3 cm and CE = 9 cm, find the length of DE.
9
3 B
12 E
D
A
(a) 2 cm
(b) 3 cm
(c) 4 cm [Ans]
(d) 6 cm
(e) None of the above
Solution
Method 1
DBE and ACE are similar (angles in same segment and vertically opposite angles).
𝐷𝐸 𝐴𝐸 𝐷𝐸 12
= , i.e. = , so DE = 4 cm.
𝐵𝐸 𝐶𝐸 3 9
Method 2
If you know about the intersecting chords theorem, i.e. DE CE = AE BE, then
DE 9 = 12 3, so DE = 4 cm.
Note: To prove the intersecting chords theorem, use similar triangles as in Method 1.
33
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Section B
16. A man buys 30 metres of fence to build a rectangular garden at the back of his house.
He uses the wall XY at the back of his house as one side of the garden ABCD as
shown in the diagram below. Find the largest possible area of the garden.
wall
X Y
A D
B C
Solution
Let BC = x m.
30 x 30 x 30 x x 2 2
Then AB = m and area of garden ABCD = x = m .
2 2 2
30 x
Let y x.
2
This is a quadratic function and its graph is an inverted-U parabola which cuts the x-
axis at x = 0 and x = 30 as shown in the diagram below.
0 15 30 x
0 30
By symmetry, the maximum point occurs when x = = 15, i.e. BC = 15 m.
2
AB = 7.5 m and area of garden = 15 7.5 = 112.5 m2
34
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
7 11
17. In a school hall, of the chairs are arranged in rows of 5, and of the chairs are
31 31
arranged in rows of 13. The rest of the chairs are stacked up. If there are less than
4000 chairs in the hall, find the total number of chairs in the hall.
Solution
18. Polite numbers are numbers that can be expressed as the sum of two or more
consecutive positive integers, e.g.
5 = 2 + 3;
9 = 2 + 3 + 4 = 4 + 5.
The degree of politeness of a number is the number of ways a number can be
expressed as the sum of two or more consecutive positive integers, e.g. the degree of
politeness of 2, 5 and 9 is 0, 1 and 2 respectively.
Find the smallest number with a degree of politeness of 3.
Solution
Method 1
1
2
3=1+2
4
5=2+3
6=1+2+3
7=3+4
8
9=4+5=2+3+4
10 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4
11 = 5 + 6
12 = 3 + 4 + 5
13 = 6 + 7
14 = 2 + 3 + 4 + 5
15 = 7 + 8 = 4 + 5 + 6 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5
35
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Method 2
1+2=3 1+2+3=6 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15
2+3=5 2+3+4=9 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 14 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 20
3+4=7 3 + 4 + 5 = 12 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 18 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 25
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
Each polite number is obtained from the previous one by adding a constant.
Solution
20. The figure shows a circle with 4 points on its circumference. Each point is joined to
every other point by a line (called a chord). The chords divide the circle into 8 regions.
Find the maximum number of regions formed by the chords for a circle with 7 points.
36
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Solution
The maximum number of regions occurs when no three chords intersect one another
inside the circle. Draw and count.
maximum no. of regions formed by the chords for a circle with 7 points = 57.
𝑛 𝑛−1 𝑛
Note: The formula is not 2n1 = 271 = 64, but ( ) + ( ) + ( ).
4 2 1
21. Find the range of values of k for which the equation kx2 2015x + (k – 2015) = 0 has
one positive and one negative root.
Solution
Method 1
Let the two roots of the equation kx2 2015x + (k – 2015) = 0 be and .
Since one of the roots is positive and the other negative, then < 0.
𝑐 𝑘−2015
Now = = < 0.
𝑎 𝑘
If k = 0, then the coefficient of x2 = 0, i.e. the equation will become a linear equation
with only one root, contradicting that there is a positive root and one negative root.
If k < 0, then k – 2015 > 0, i.e. k > 2015, which contradicts that k < 0 in the first place.
If k > 0, then k – 2015 < 0, i.e. k < 2015. 0 < k < 2015.
Method 2
The curve y = kx2 2015x + (k – 2015) cuts the x-axis at two values, one of which is
positive and the other negative.
If k = 0, then the coefficient of x2 = 0, i.e. the equation will become a linear equation
with only one root, contradicting that there is a positive root and one negative root.
If k < 0, then the coefficient of x2 will be negative, i.e. the curve will cut the y-axis at a
value that is positive, i.e. the y-intercept of the curve, k – 2015, will be positive.
This means that k > 2015, which contradicts that k < 0 in the first place.
If k > 0, then the coefficient of x2 will be positive, i.e. the curve will cut the y-axis at a
value that is negative, i.e. the y-intercept of the curve, k – 2015, will be negative.
This means that k < 2015. 0 < k < 2015.
37
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
22. A circle and a triangle are drawn on a rectangular sheet of paper. What is the biggest
number of regions that can be formed on the paper?
Solution
To form the biggest number of regions, the triangle and the circle should intersect as
often as possible.
Since a line can cut a circle at most two times, then the following diagram shows the
biggest number of regions that can be formed between a triangle and a circle.
2 4
7 8
1 5
6
The next step is to divide the 8th region into as many regions as possible.
This is achieved by using the 3 vertices of the triangle, and the 3 curved parts of the
circle that are outside the triangle, to touch the edges of the rectangular sheet of
paper, as shown in the diagram below.
biggest number of regions that can be formed on the paper = 13
10 3 9
2 4
11 8
1 5
12 6 13
Solution
6 x
3
4
5 x 2 3 2 x x 2 = 𝑎0 + 𝑎1 𝑥 + 𝑎2 𝑥 2 +. . . + 𝑎14 𝑥14
2
38
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
24. Albert and Bernard just become friends with Cheryl, and they want to know when her
birthday is. Cheryl gives them a list of 10 possible dates.
Cheryl then tells Albert and Bernard separately the month and the day of her birthday
respectively.
Albert: I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but I know that Bernard does not
know too.
Bernard: At first I don’t know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but I know now.
Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl’s birthday is.
Solution
Out of the 10 dates, the day ranges from 14 to 19, with only 18 and 19 each occurring
once. If the day of Cheryl’s birthday is 18 or 19, then Bernard would have known
when Cheryl’s birthday is since Cheryl has told him the day of her birthday.
But why does Albert know that Bernard does not know?
If Cheryl has told Albert that her birth month is May or June, then it is possible that
her birthday may be May 19 or June 18. This means that Bernard may know when
Cheryl’s birthday is. The fact that Albert knows that Bernard does not know means
that Cheryl has told Albert that her birth month is either July or August.
Initially, Bernard does not know when Cheryl’s birthday is, but how did he know after
Albert has first spoken?
Out of the 5 remaining dates in July and August, the day ranges from 15 to 17, with
only 14 occurring twice.
If Cheryl has told Bernard the day of her birthday is 14, then Bernard would not have
known. The fact that Bernard knows means the day of her birthday is not 14. So
now we are left with 3 possible dates: July 16, August 15 and August 17.
After Bernard has spoken, Albert now knows when Cheryl’s birthday is. If Cheryl has
told Albert her birth month is August, then Albert would not have known because
there are two possible dates in August.
Cheryl’s birthday is on July 16.
39
SASMO 2015, Secondary 4 Contest
Solution
Since the last 6 digits of a product ab depends only on the last 6 digits of a and of b,
then
2015 = 002 015
Last 6 digits of 002 015 2015 = 060 225
Last 6 digits of 060 225 2015 = 353 375
Last 6 digits of 353 375 2015 = 050 625
Last 6 digits of
Last 6 digits of 009 375 2015 = 890 625
Last 6 digits of 890 625 2015 = 609 375
Last 6 digits of 609 375 2015 = 890 625
the last 6 digits repeat with a period of 2, with the exception of the first 5 powers.
Since the index 2015 is odd, then the last 6 digits of 152015 are 609 375.
40