1998 AIME Problem 12

Attempt Problem 12 of the 1998 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 1998 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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12.

Let ABCABC be equilateral, and D,D, E,E, and FF be the midpoints of BC,\overline{BC}, CA,\overline{CA}, and AB,\overline{AB}, respectively. There exist points P,P, Q,Q, and RR on DE,\overline{DE}, EF,\overline{EF}, and FD,\overline{FD}, respectively, with the property that PP is on CQ,\overline{CQ}, QQ is on AR,\overline{AR}, and RR is on BP.\overline{BP}. The ratio of the area of triangle ABCABC to the area of triangle PQRPQR is a+bc,a + b\sqrt{c}, where a,a, b,b, and cc are integers, and cc is not divisible by the square of any prime. What is a2+b2+c2?a^2 + b^2 + c^2?

Answer: 83
Concepts:equilateral trianglecoordinate geometryarea ratiosymmetry
Difficulty rating: 2990
Solution:

Place A=(0,3),A = (0, \sqrt{3}), B=(1,0),B = (-1, 0), C=(1,0),C = (1, 0), so D=(0,0),D = (0, 0), E=(12,32),E = \left(\frac{1}{2}, \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\right), F=(12,32).F = \left(-\frac{1}{2}, \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\right). Write P=D+x(ED),P=D+x(E-D), Q=E+y(FE),Q=E+y(F-E), and R=F+z(DF),R=F+z(D-F), where 0x,y,z1.0\le x,y,z\le1. Computing the three two-dimensional cross products, the collinearities C,P,Q;C,P,Q; A,Q,R;A,Q,R; and B,R,PB,R,P give, respectively, x(1+y)=1,y(1+z)=1,z(1+x)=1. \begin{gathered} x(1+y)=1,\\ y(1+z)=1,\\ z(1+x)=1. \end{gathered}

Let f(u)=11+u.f(u)=\frac{1}{1+u}. The equations say x=f(y),x=f(y), y=f(z),y=f(z), and z=f(x),z=f(x), so x=f(f(f(x)))=x+22x+3. x=f(f(f(x)))=\frac{x+2}{2x+3}. Hence x2+x1=0,x^2+x-1=0, and positivity gives x=512.x=\frac{\sqrt5-1}{2}. The equations then force y=z=x;y=z=x; call this common value t.t. Thus the desired configuration really is the symmetric one, rather than merely being assumed to be.

With P=(t2,t32)P = \left(\frac{t}{2}, \frac{t\sqrt{3}}{2}\right) and Q=(12t,32),Q = \left(\frac{1}{2} - t, \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\right), both triangles are equilateral with center G=(0,33).G = \left(0, \frac{\sqrt{3}}{3}\right). Therefore the area ratio is GA2GP2.\frac{GA^2}{GP^2}. Using t2=1t,t^2 = 1 - t, GP2=t24+3(t213)2=t2t+13=735,GA2=43. \begin{aligned} GP^2 &= \frac{t^2}{4} + 3\left(\frac{t}{2} - \frac{1}{3}\right)^2 \\ &= t^2 - t + \frac{1}{3} \\ &= \frac{7}{3} - \sqrt{5}, \\ GA^2 &= \frac{4}{3}. \end{aligned}

Hence [ABC][PQR]=4/37/35=4735=7+35, \begin{aligned} \frac{[ABC]}{[PQR]} &= \frac{4/3}{7/3 - \sqrt{5}} \\ &= \frac{4}{7 - 3\sqrt{5}} \\ &= 7 + 3\sqrt{5}, \end{aligned} so a=7,a = 7, b=3,b = 3, c=5,c = 5, and a2+b2+c2=49+9+25=83.a^2 + b^2 + c^2 = 49 + 9 + 25 = 83.

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