2008 AIME II Problem 11

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11.

In triangle ABC,ABC, AB=AC=100,AB = AC = 100, and BC=56.BC = 56. Circle PP has radius 1616 and is tangent to AC\overline{AC} and BC.\overline{BC}. Circle QQ is externally tangent to circle PP and is tangent to AB\overline{AB} and BC.\overline{BC}. No point of circle QQ lies outside of ABC.\triangle ABC. The radius of circle QQ can be expressed in the form mnk,m - n\sqrt{k}, where m,m, n,n, and kk are positive integers and kk is the product of distinct primes. Find m+nk.m + nk.

Answer: 254
Concepts:tangent circlescoordinate geometryangle bisectortrigonometric identity
Difficulty rating: 2990
Solution:

Place B=(0,0)B = (0, 0) and C=(56,0);C = (56, 0); the altitude from AA has length 1002282=96,\sqrt{100^2 - 28^2} = 96, so A=(28,96).A = (28, 96). Then sinB=2425,\sin B = \frac{24}{25}, cosB=725,\cos B = \frac{7}{25}, and tanB2=sinB1+cosB=34=tanC2. \begin{aligned} \tan\frac{B}{2} &= \frac{\sin B}{1 + \cos B} \\ &= \frac{3}{4} = \tan\frac{C}{2}. \end{aligned} A circle of radius rr tangent to BC\overline{BC} and to a slanted side has its center on the bisector from that base vertex, at height rr and horizontal distance rtan(C/2)=4r3\frac{r}{\tan(C/2)} = \frac{4r}{3} from the vertex. Thus P=(56643,16)P = \left(56 - \frac{64}{3},\, 16\right) and Q=(4q3,q),Q = \left(\frac{4q}{3},\, q\right), where qq is the radius of circle Q.Q.

External tangency means PQ=q+16:PQ = q + 16: (1044q3)2+(16q)2=(16+q)2. \begin{aligned} &\left(\frac{104 - 4q}{3}\right)^2 + (16 - q)^2 \\ &= (16 + q)^2. \end{aligned} Since (16+q)2(16q)2=64q,(16 + q)^2 - (16 - q)^2 = 64q, this becomes (1044q)2=576q,(104 - 4q)^2 = 576q, i.e. (26q)2=36q,(26 - q)^2 = 36q, which simplifies to q288q+676=0,q^2 - 88q + 676 = 0, so q=44±635.q = 44 \pm 6\sqrt{35}.

The root 44+63579.544 + 6\sqrt{35} \approx 79.5 would make circle QQ extend outside the triangle, so q=44635.q = 44 - 6\sqrt{35}. Here m=44,m = 44, n=6,n = 6, and k=35=57,k = 35 = 5 \cdot 7, giving m+nk=44+210=254.m + nk = 44 + 210 = 254.

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