1986 AIME Problem 9

Attempt Problem 9 of the 1986 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 1986 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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

9.

In ABC,\triangle ABC, AB=425,AB=425, BC=450,BC=450, and AC=510.AC=510. An interior point PP is drawn, and segments are drawn through PP parallel to the sides of the triangle. If these three segments have equal length d,d, find d.d.

Answer: 306
Concepts:algebraic manipulationarea ratiosimilarity
Difficulty rating: 2350
Small Hint:

Normalize the perpendicular distances from PP to the three sides

Big Hint:

A cross-section parallel to a side has length equal to that side times one minus the corresponding normalized distance

Solution:

Write a=BC=450,a=BC=450, b=CA=510,b=CA=510, and c=AB=425.c=AB=425. Let x,x, y,y, and zz be the distances from PP to BC,BC, CA,CA, and AB,AB, respectively, each divided by the corresponding altitude. Area decomposition gives x+y+z=1.x+y+z=1.

By similar triangles, the segment through PP parallel to BCBC has length a(1x),a(1-x), and similarly the other two lengths are b(1y)b(1-y) and c(1z).c(1-z). Since all three equal d,d, x=1da,y=1db,z=1dc. \begin{aligned} x&=1-\frac da,\\ y&=1-\frac db,\\ z&=1-\frac dc. \end{aligned} Their sum is 1,1, so d=2abcab+bc+ca. d=\frac{2abc}{ab+bc+ca}. Substituting the three side lengths gives d=195075000637500=306. \begin{aligned} d&=\frac{195075000}{637500}\\ &=306. \end{aligned}

← Problem 8#8
Full Exam

Problem 9 in Other Years