2011 AIME I Problem 8

Attempt Problem 8 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.

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8.

In △ABC,\triangle ABC, BC=23,BC = 23, CA=27,CA = 27, and AB=30.AB = 30. Points VV and WW are on AC‾\overline{AC} with VV on AW‾,\overline{AW}, points XX and YY are on BC‾\overline{BC} with XX on CY‾,\overline{CY}, and points ZZ and UU are on AB‾\overline{AB} with ZZ on BU‾.\overline{BU}. In addition, the points are positioned so that UV‾∥BC‾,\overline{UV} \parallel \overline{BC}, WX‾∥AB‾,\overline{WX} \parallel \overline{AB}, and YZ‾∥CA‾.\overline{YZ} \parallel \overline{CA}. Right angle folds are then made along UV‾,\overline{UV}, WX‾,\overline{WX}, and YZ‾.\overline{YZ}. The resulting figure is placed on a level floor to make a table with triangular legs. Let hh be the maximum possible height of a table constructed from △ABC\triangle ABC whose top is parallel to the floor. Then hh can be written in the form kmn,\frac{k\sqrt{m}}{n}, where kk and nn are relatively prime positive integers and mm is a positive integer that is not divisible by the square of any prime. Find k+m+n.k + m + n.

Answer: 318
Concepts:Heron’s Formulasimilarityoptimization
Difficulty rating: 3060
Small Hint:

A flap folded down from a vertex hangs to a depth equal to the distance from that vertex to its fold line, so all three fold lines must be at distance hh from their vertices

Big Hint:

Two folds cutting the same side must not overlap: for each side, multiplying hh by the sum of the other two side lengths gives at most twice the triangle’s area; the largest such sum is the binding constraint

Solution:

Write a=BC=23,a = BC = 23, b=CA=27,b = CA = 27, c=AB=30,c = AB = 30, and let KK be the area of △ABC.\triangle ABC. By Heron’s formula with semiperimeter 40,40, K=40⋅17⋅13⋅10K = \sqrt{40 \cdot 17 \cdot 13 \cdot 10} =20221.= 20\sqrt{221}. When the corner at a vertex is folded down at a right angle, the flap hangs to a depth equal to the distance from that vertex to the fold line, so for a level tabletop of height h,h, each fold line must lie at distance hh from its vertex.

The flap at AA is similar to △ABC\triangle ABC with ratio h2Ka=ha2K\frac{h}{\frac{2K}{a}} = \frac{ha}{2K} (dividing hh by the distance from AA to BC‾\overline{BC}), so it uses up AU=c⋅ha2KAU = c \cdot \frac{ha}{2K} of side AB‾;\overline{AB}; likewise the flap at BB uses BZ=c⋅hb2KBZ = c \cdot \frac{hb}{2K} of the same side. The two folds fit without crossing exactly when AU+BZ≤c,AU + BZ \le c, that is, h(a+b)≤2K.h(a + b) \le 2K. The other two sides give h(b+c)≤2Kh(b + c) \le 2K and h(c+a)≤2K.h(c + a) \le 2K.

The binding constraint comes from the largest sum, b+c=57,b + c = 57, so the maximum height is h=2K57=4022157,h = \frac{2K}{57} = \frac{40\sqrt{221}}{57}, and k+m+n=40+221+57k + m + n = 40 + 221 + 57 =318.= 318.

Problem 7#7
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