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1989 AJHSME Problems/Problem 22

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Problem

The letters \text{A}, \text{J}, \text{H}, \text{S}, \text{M}, \text{E} and the digits 1, 9, 8, 9 are "cycled" separately as follows and put together in a numbered list: \begin{tabular}[t]{lccc} & & AJHSME & 1989 \\ & & & \\1. & & JHSMEA & 9891 \\2. & &am...

What is the number of the line on which \text{AJHSME 1989} will appear for the first time?

\text{(A)}\ 6 \qquad \text{(B)}\ 10 \qquad \text{(C)}\ 12 \qquad \text{(D)}\ 18 \qquad \text{(E)}\ 24

Solution

Every 4\text{th} line has 1989 as part of it and every 6\text{th} line has \text{AJHSME} as part of it. In order for both to be part of line n, n must be a multiple of 4 and 6, the least of which is \text{lcm}(4,6)=12\rightarrow \boxed{\text{C}}.

See Also

1989 AJHSME (ProblemsResources)
Preceded by
Problem 21
Followed by
Problem 23
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