1958 AMC 12 Problem 6

Attempt Problem 6 of the 1958 AMC 12 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1958 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

6.

The arithmetic mean between x+ax\dfrac{x+a}{x} and x−ax,\dfrac{x-a}{x}, when x≠0,x\ne0, is:
2,2, if a≠0a\ne0
11
1,1, only if a=0a=0
ax\dfrac ax
xx
Answer: B
Concepts:meanalgebraic manipulationfraction
Small hint:
Add the two given expressions and divide by 22
Big hint:
The aa-terms cancel in the numerator
Solution:
The arithmetic mean is 12(x+ax+x−ax)=12(2xx)=1. \begin{aligned} &\frac12\left(\frac{x+a}{x}+\frac{x-a}{x}\right)\\ &\qquad=\frac12\left(\frac{2x}{x}\right)=1. \end{aligned}
Therefore, the correct answer is B.
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