2003 AIME I Problem 11

Attempt Problem 11 of the 2003 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 2003 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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11.

An angle xx is chosen at random from the interval 0<x<90.0^\circ \lt x \lt 90^\circ. Let pp be the probability that the numbers sin2x,\sin^2 x, cos2x,\cos^2 x, and sinxcosx\sin x \cos x are not the lengths of the sides of a triangle. Given that p=dn,p = \frac{d}{n}, where dd is the number of degrees in arctanm\arctan m and mm and nn are positive integers with m+n<1000,m + n \lt 1000, find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 92
Concepts:geometric probabilitytriangle inequalitytrigonometric identity
Difficulty rating: 2710
Solution:

Replacing xx by 90x90^\circ - x swaps sinx\sin x and cosx,\cos x, so the failure probability on (45,90)(45^\circ, 90^\circ) matches that on (0,45),(0^\circ, 45^\circ), and it suffices to consider 0<x45.0^\circ \lt x \le 45^\circ. There cos2xsinxcosxsin2x,\cos^2 x \ge \sin x \cos x \ge \sin^2 x, so the three numbers fail to form a triangle exactly when cos2xsin2x+sinxcosx.\cos^2 x \ge \sin^2 x + \sin x \cos x.

Since cos2xsin2x=cos2x\cos^2 x - \sin^2 x = \cos 2x and sinxcosx=12sin2x,\sin x \cos x = \frac{1}{2}\sin 2x, this says cos2x12sin2x,\cos 2x \ge \frac{1}{2} \sin 2x, i.e. tan2x2.\tan 2x \le 2. Because tangent increases on this range, that happens exactly for x12arctan2.x \le \frac{1}{2}\arctan 2.

Therefore p=12arctan245=arctan290,p = \frac{\frac{1}{2}\arctan 2}{45^\circ} = \frac{\arctan 2}{90^\circ}, so m=2m = 2 and n=90,n = 90, with m+n=92<1000,m + n = 92 \lt 1000, and the answer is 92.92.

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