1997 AIME Problems/Problem 5
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Problem
The number 
can be expressed as a four-place decimal 
where 
and 
represent digits, any of which could be zero. It is desired to approximate by a fraction whose numerator is 1 or 2 and whose denominator is an integer. The closest such fraction to is 
What is the number of possible values for ?
Solution
The nearest fractions to 
with numerator 
are 
; and with numerator 
are 
anyway. For to be the best approximation for , the decimal must be closer to 
than to 
or 
.
Thus can range between 
and 
. At 
, it becomes closer to the other fractions, so 
and the number of values of is 
.
See also
| 1997 AIME (Problems • Resources) | ||
| Preceded by Problem 4 | Followed by Problem 6 | |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 | ||
