1999 AIME Problem 2

Attempt Problem 2 of the 1999 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 1999 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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2.

Consider the parallelogram with vertices (10,45),(10, 45), (10,114),(10, 114), (28,153),(28, 153), and (28,84).(28, 84). A line through the origin cuts this figure into two congruent polygons. The slope of the line is mn,\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 118
Concepts:parallelogrammidpointslopesymmetry
Difficulty rating: 1790
Solution:

Congruent pieces have equal area. For any fixed direction, there is only one line in that direction that bisects the area of a convex figure; because a parallelogram is centrally symmetric, that line passes through its center. Thus the required line through the origin must also pass through the center. Conversely, the 180180^\circ rotation about the center swaps the two pieces cut by such a line, so they are congruent. The center is the midpoint of a diagonal: (10+282,45+1532)=(19,99). \begin{aligned} &\left(\frac{10 + 28}{2}, \frac{45 + 153}{2}\right) \\ &= (19, 99). \end{aligned}

The line through the origin and (19,99)(19, 99) has slope 9919,\frac{99}{19}, and gcd(99,19)=1,\gcd(99, 19) = 1, so m+n=99+19=118.m + n = 99 + 19 = 118.

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