Problem:
For the game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, the dollar values of each question are shown in the following table (where K=1000).
QuestionValue110022003300450051K62K74K88K916K1032K1164K12125K13250K14500K151000K
Between which two questions is the percent increase of the value the smallest?
Answer Choices:
A. From 1 to 2
B. From 2 to 3
C. From 3 to 4
D. From 11 to 12
E. From 14 to 15
Solution:
The percent increase from a to b is given by
ab−a(100%)
For example, the percent increase for the first two questions is
100200−100(100%)=100%
Each time the amount doubles there is a 100% increase. The only exceptions in this game are 2 to 3 (50%), 3 to 4 (6632%) and 11 to 12 (about 95%). The answer is (B).
OR
Answer: B.
The problems on this page are the property of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions
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