2000 AIME I Problem 14

Attempt Problem 14 of the 2000 AIME I 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 2000 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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14.

In triangle ABC,ABC, it is given that angles BB and CC are congruent. Points PP and QQ lie on AC‾\overline{AC} and AB‾,\overline{AB}, respectively, so that AP=PQ=QB=BC.AP = PQ = QB = BC. Angle ACBACB is rr times as large as angle APQ,APQ, where rr is a positive real number. Find the greatest integer that does not exceed 1000r.1000r.

Answer: 571
Concepts:isosceles trianglelaw of sinestrigonometric identity
Difficulty rating: 2990
Small Hint:

Let ∠A=α\angle A = \alpha and AP=1.AP = 1. Isosceles triangle APQAPQ gives ∠AQP=α\angle AQP = \alpha and AQ=2cos⁡αAQ = 2\cos\alpha

Big Hint:

With BC=1,BC = 1, the law of sines gives AB=12sin⁡(α2),AB = \frac{1}{2\sin(\frac{\alpha}{2})}, and AQ+QB=ABAQ + QB = AB reduces to sin⁡3α2=12\sin\frac{3\alpha}{2} = \frac{1}{2}

Solution:

Let ∠A=α,\angle A = \alpha, and scale so AP=PQ=QB=BC=1.AP = PQ = QB = BC = 1. In triangle APQ,APQ, the equal sides AP=PQAP = PQ give ∠AQP=∠A=α,\angle AQP = \angle A = \alpha, so ∠APQ=180∘−2α\angle APQ = 180^\circ - 2\alpha and, by the law of sines, AQ=sin⁡2αsin⁡α=2cos⁡α.AQ = \frac{\sin 2\alpha}{\sin \alpha} = 2\cos\alpha. In triangle ABC,ABC, ∠B=∠C=90∘−α2,\angle B = \angle C = 90^\circ - \frac{\alpha}{2}, so AB=BCsin⁡Csin⁡A=cos⁡(α2)sin⁡α=12sin⁡(α2). \begin{aligned} AB &= \frac{BC \sin C}{\sin A} \\ &= \frac{\cos(\frac{\alpha}{2})}{\sin\alpha} = \frac{1}{2\sin(\frac{\alpha}{2})}. \end{aligned}

Since AQ+QB=AB,AQ + QB = AB, 2cos⁡α+1=12sin⁡(α2)⟹4sin⁡α2cos⁡α+2sin⁡α2=1. \begin{aligned} 2\cos\alpha + 1 &= \frac{1}{2\sin(\frac{\alpha}{2})} \\ &\quad\Longrightarrow\quad 4\sin\tfrac{\alpha}{2}\cos\alpha \\ &\quad {}+ 2\sin\tfrac{\alpha}{2} = 1. \end{aligned} By the product-to-sum identity, 4sin⁡α2cos⁡α4\sin\frac{\alpha}{2}\cos\alpha =2sin⁡3α2= 2\sin\frac{3\alpha}{2} −2sin⁡α2,- 2\sin\frac{\alpha}{2}, so the equation collapses to sin⁡3α2=12.\sin\frac{3\alpha}{2} = \frac{1}{2}. Then α=20∘\alpha = 20^\circ or α=100∘,\alpha = 100^\circ, but the latter makes AQ=2cos⁡αAQ = 2\cos\alpha negative, so α=20∘.\alpha = 20^\circ.

Now ∠ACB=80∘\angle ACB = 80^\circ and ∠APQ=140∘,\angle APQ = 140^\circ, so r=80140=47,r = \frac{80}{140} = \frac{4}{7}, and ⌊1000r⌋=⌊40007⌋=571.\lfloor 1000r \rfloor = \left\lfloor \frac{4000}{7} \right\rfloor = 571.

Problem 13#13
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