2011 AIME I Problem 13

Attempt Problem 13 of the 2011 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 2011 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

13.

A cube with side length 1010 is suspended above a plane. The vertex closest to the plane is labeled A.A. The three vertices adjacent to vertex AA are at heights 10,10, 11,11, and 1212 above the plane. The distance from vertex AA to the plane can be expressed as rst,\frac{r - \sqrt{s}}{t}, where r,r, s,s, and tt are positive integers. Find r+s+t.r + s + t.

Answer: 330
Concepts:3D geometryvectorquadratic
Difficulty rating: 2990
Solution:

Let hh be the height of A,A, and let e1,e_1, e2,e_2, e3e_3 be unit vectors along the three mutually perpendicular edges at A.A. If uu is the upward unit normal of the plane, the height of the vertex along edge ii is h+10(eiu),h + 10(e_i \cdot u), so 10(e1u)=10h,10(e_1 \cdot u) = 10 - h, 10(e2u)=11h,10(e_2 \cdot u) = 11 - h, and 10(e3u)=12h.10(e_3 \cdot u) = 12 - h. Because e1,e2,e3e_1, e_2, e_3 form an orthonormal basis, (e1u)2+(e2u)2(e_1 \cdot u)^2 + (e_2 \cdot u)^2 +(e3u)2=1.+ (e_3 \cdot u)^2 = 1.

Therefore (10h)2+(11h)2+(12h)2=100, \begin{aligned} &(10 - h)^2 + (11 - h)^2 \\ &\quad {}+ (12 - h)^2 = 100, \end{aligned} which simplifies to 3h266h+265=0,3h^2 - 66h + 265 = 0, so h=33±33232653=33±2943.h = \frac{33 \pm \sqrt{33^2 - 3 \cdot 265}}{3} = \frac{33 \pm \sqrt{294}}{3}.

Since AA is the closest vertex to the plane, h<10,h \lt 10, forcing h=332943,h = \frac{33 - \sqrt{294}}{3}, and r+s+t=33+294+3=330.r + s + t = 33 + 294 + 3 = 330.

← Problem 12#12
Full Exam

Problem 13 in Other Years