1997 AIME Problem 15

Attempt Problem 15 of the 1997 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 1997 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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15.

The sides of rectangle ABCDABCD have lengths 1010 and 11.11. An equilateral triangle is drawn so that no point of the triangle lies outside ABCD.ABCD. The maximum possible area of such a triangle can be written in the form pqr,p\sqrt{q} - r, where p,p, q,q, and rr are positive integers, and qq is not divisible by the square of any prime number. Find p+q+r.p + q + r.

Answer: 554
Concepts:equilateral triangletrigonometryoptimization
Difficulty rating: 3160
Solution:

By reflecting or rotating the configuration, take one side of the equilateral triangle to make an angle 0θ300\le\theta\le30^\circ with the length-1111 side of the rectangle. A triangle of side ss in this orientation has horizontal and vertical spans scosθs\cos\theta and ssin(θ+60),s\sin(\theta+60^\circ), respectively. Hence smin(11cosθ,10sin(θ+60)). s\le\min\left(\frac{11}{\cos\theta}, \frac{10}{\sin(\theta+60^\circ)}\right). The first bound increases with θ\theta and the second decreases, so their minimum is largest when they are equal. This bound is attainable by putting one vertex at a corner and the other two on the far sides, giving scosθ=11,ssin(θ+60)=10. \begin{aligned} s\cos\theta &= 11, \\ s\sin(\theta + 60^\circ) &= 10. \end{aligned}

Dividing, 11sin(θ+60)=10cosθ,11\sin(\theta + 60^\circ) = 10\cos\theta, and expanding the left side gives 112sinθ+1132cosθ=10cosθ,\frac{11}{2}\sin\theta + \frac{11\sqrt{3}}{2}\cos\theta = 10\cos\theta, so tanθ=2011311\tan\theta = \frac{20 - 11\sqrt{3}}{11} (about 4.9,4.9^\circ, a legal tilt). Then s2=121cos2θ=121(1+tan2θ)=121+(20113)2=8844403. \begin{aligned} s^2 &= \frac{121}{\cos^2\theta} \\ &= 121\left(1 + \tan^2\theta\right) \\ &= 121 + \left(20 - 11\sqrt{3}\right)^2 \\ &= 884 - 440\sqrt{3}. \end{aligned}

The area is 34s2=34(8844403)\frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}s^2 = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}\left(884 - 440\sqrt{3}\right) =221333052.8,= 221\sqrt{3} - 330 \approx 52.8, which indeed beats the untilted triangle of side 10.10. Thus p+q+rp + q + r =221+3+330=554.= 221 + 3 + 330 = 554.

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