2012 AIME I Problem 13

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 13 of the 2012 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2012 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:equilateral triangletransformationlaw of cosines

Difficulty rating: 3160

13.

Three concentric circles have radii 3,3, 4,4, and 5.5. An equilateral triangle with one vertex on each circle has side length s.s. The largest possible area of the triangle can be written as a+bcd,a + \frac{b}{c}\sqrt{d}, where a,a, b,b, c,c, and dd are positive integers, bb and cc are relatively prime, and dd is not divisible by the square of any prime. Find a+b+c+d.a + b + c + d.

Solution:

Let OO be the common center and label the triangle ABCABC with OA=3,OA = 3, OB=4,OB = 4, OC=5.OC = 5. Rotate the plane by 6060^\circ about AA so that BB maps to C,C, and let PP be the image of O.O. Then triangle AOPAOP is equilateral, so OP=OA=3,OP = OA = 3, and PC,PC, the image of OB,OB, has length 4.4.

Triangle OPCOPC has sides 3,3, 4,4, 5,5, so OPC=90.\angle OPC = 90^\circ. In the configuration giving the largest triangle, OO lies inside ABCABC and APC=APO+OPC=60+90=150,\angle APC = \angle APO + \angle OPC = 60^\circ + 90^\circ = 150^\circ, so by the Law of Cosines s2=AC2=32+42234cos150=25+123.s^2 = AC^2 = 3^2 + 4^2 - 2 \cdot 3 \cdot 4\cos 150^\circ = 25 + 12\sqrt{3}. (If OO lies outside the triangle, the triangle fits in a half-disk of radius 5,5, so its altitude is at most 55 and s21003,s^2 \le \frac{100}{3}, which is smaller.)

The area is 34s2=34(25+123)=9+2543,\frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}\,s^2 = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}\left(25 + 12\sqrt{3}\right) = 9 + \frac{25}{4}\sqrt{3}, so a+b+c+d=9+25+4+3=41.a + b + c + d = 9 + 25 + 4 + 3 = 41.

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