Problem

2015 AMC 12A Problem 24

Rational numbers a and b are chosen at random among all rational numbers in the interval [0,2) that can be written as fractions \frac{n}{d} where n and d are integers with 1 \le d \le 5. What is the probability that (\text{cos}(a\pi)+i\text{sin}(b\pi))^4 is a real number?

\textbf{(A)}\ \frac{3}{50} \qquad\textbf{(B)}\ \frac{4}{25} \qquad\textbf{(C)}\ \frac{41}{200} \qquad\textbf{(D)}\ \frac{6}{25} \qquad\textbf{(E)}\ \frac{13}{50}


Full credit goes to MAA for authoring these problems. These problems were taken on the AOPS website.


Show/Hide Problem Tags

Problem Tags: Algebra Counting and probability Trigonometry

Want to contribute problems and receive full credit? Click here to add your problem!
Please report any issues to us in our Discord server
Go to previous contest problem (SHIFT + Left Arrow) Go to next contest problem (SHIFT + Right Arrow)