2004 AIME I Problem 9

Attempt Problem 9 of the 2004 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 2004 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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9.

Let ABCABC be a triangle with sides 3,3, 4,4, and 5,5, and DEFGDEFG be a 66-by-77 rectangle. A segment is drawn to divide triangle ABCABC into a triangle U1U_1 and a trapezoid V1,V_1, and another segment is drawn to divide rectangle DEFGDEFG into a triangle U2U_2 and a trapezoid V2V_2 such that U1U_1 is similar to U2U_2 and V1V_1 is similar to V2.V_2. The minimum value of the area of U1U_1 can be written in the form m/n,m/n, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 35
Concepts:similarityarea ratiocasework
Difficulty rating: 2990
Solution:

A segment cuts the rectangle into a triangle and a trapezoid only if it runs from a vertex to a point on a nonadjacent side, so U2U_2 is a right triangle whose legs lie along two sides of the rectangle, one leg being a full side (66 or 77). Since U1U2,U_1 \sim U_2, the cut in the 33-44-55 right triangle ABCABC must also produce a right triangle, so it is parallel to a leg, and then U1ABC.U_1 \sim ABC. Hence U2U_2 is a 33-44-55 triangle too: its legs are 66 and 92\frac{9}{2} (full side 66) or 77 and 214\frac{21}{4} (full side 77); the other orientations need legs 88 or 283,\frac{28}{3}, which do not fit.

In both cases the trapezoid V2V_2 has two right angles and an acute angle between the cut and its longer base with tangent 69/2=721/4=43.\frac{6}{9/2} = \frac{7}{21/4} = \frac{4}{3}. In triangle ABC,ABC, a cut parallel to the leg of length 33 gives V1V_1 an acute angle with tangent 43,\frac{4}{3}, matching, while a cut parallel to the leg of length 44 gives tangent 34,\frac{3}{4}, which cannot match. So the cut is parallel to the side of length 3,3, and the parallel bases of V1V_1 are the cut segment ss and the side of length 3.3.

Similarity of the trapezoids forces s:3s : 3 to equal the ratio of the bases of V2,V_2, which is 79/27=514\frac{7 - 9/2}{7} = \frac{5}{14} in the first case and 621/46=18\frac{6 - 21/4}{6} = \frac{1}{8} in the second. Then [U1]=(s3)2[ABC],[U_1] = \left(\frac{s}{3}\right)^2 [ABC], giving (514)26=7598\left(\frac{5}{14}\right)^2 \cdot 6 = \frac{75}{98} or (18)26=332.\left(\frac{1}{8}\right)^2 \cdot 6 = \frac{3}{32}. The minimum is 332,\frac{3}{32}, so m+n=3+32=35.m + n = 3 + 32 = 35.

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