1985 AIME Problem 15

Attempt Problem 15 of the 1985 AIME 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 1985 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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15.

Three 12 cm×12 cm12\text{ cm}\times12\text{ cm} squares are each cut into two pieces AA and B,B, as shown in the first figure below, by joining the midpoints of two adjacent sides. These six pieces are then attached to a regular hexagon, as shown in the second figure, so as to fold into a polyhedron. What is the volume (in cm3\text{cm}^3) of this polyhedron?

Answer: 864
Concepts:cube geometrynet (3D geometry)volume
Difficulty rating: 2720
Small Hint:

Recognize each AA as a square face with one corner cut off and each BB as that corner triangle

Big Hint:

A plane through six edge midpoints of a cube cuts a regular hexagon and divides the cube into two congruent parts

Solution:

Consider a 12×12×1212\times12\times12 cube and the plane through the midpoints of the six edges that join opposite groups of three vertices. In coordinates 0x,y,z12,0\leq x,y,z\leq12, this is the plane x+y+z=18.x+y+z=18. Its cross-section is a regular hexagon with side 62,6\sqrt2, the same as the cut edge joining adjacent side midpoints.

On three faces of the cube, the plane leaves a square with a corner triangle removed, exactly piece A.A. On the other three faces, it leaves the complementary right-isosceles corner triangle, exactly piece B.B. Thus the pictured net is one of the two pieces into which this plane cuts the cube. Central symmetry interchanges the two pieces, so each has half the cube’s volume: V=1232=864. V=\frac{12^3}{2}=864.

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