2001 AIME I Problem 12

Attempt Problem 12 of the 2001 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 2001 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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12.

A sphere is inscribed in the tetrahedron whose vertices are A=(6,0,0),A = (6, 0, 0), B=(0,4,0),B = (0, 4, 0), C=(0,0,2),C = (0, 0, 2), and D=(0,0,0).D = (0, 0, 0). The radius of the sphere is mn,\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 5
Concepts:3D geometryincircle, incenter, and inradiusvolumevector
Difficulty rating: 2560
Solution:

Connecting the incenter to the four vertices splits the tetrahedron into four pyramids of height rr over the faces, so V=13rS,V = \frac{1}{3} r S, i.e. r=3VS,r = \frac{3V}{S}, where SS is the total surface area.

Here V=16642=8.V = \frac{1}{6} \cdot 6 \cdot 4 \cdot 2 = 8. The three faces on the coordinate planes are right triangles with areas 1264=12,\frac{1}{2} \cdot 6 \cdot 4 = 12, 1262=6,\frac{1}{2} \cdot 6 \cdot 2 = 6, and 1242=4.\frac{1}{2} \cdot 4 \cdot 2 = 4. For face ABC,ABC, the cross product of AB=(6,4,0)\overrightarrow{AB} = (-6, 4, 0) and AC=(6,0,2)\overrightarrow{AC} = (-6, 0, 2) is (8,12,24),(8, 12, 24), with length 422+32+62=28,4\sqrt{2^2 + 3^2 + 6^2} = 28, so that face has area 14.14.

Then S=12+6+4+14=36S = 12 + 6 + 4 + 14 = 36 and r=2436=23,r = \frac{24}{36} = \frac{2}{3}, giving m+n=2+3=5.m + n = 2 + 3 = 5.

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