2013 AIME II Problem 15

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Concepts:law of sineslaw of cosinestrigonometric identity

Difficulty rating: 3370

15.

Let A,B,CA, B, C be angles of a triangle with AA and CC acute and BB greater than a right angle satisfying cos2A+cos2B+2sinAsinBcosC=158\cos^2 A + \cos^2 B + 2 \sin A \sin B \cos C = \frac{15}{8} and cos2B+cos2C+2sinBsinCcosA=149.\cos^2 B + \cos^2 C + 2 \sin B \sin C \cos A = \frac{14}{9}. There are positive integers p,p, q,q, r,r, and ss for which cos2C+cos2A+2sinCsinAcosB=pqrs,\cos^2 C + \cos^2 A + 2 \sin C \sin A \cos B = \frac{p - q\sqrt{r}}{s}, where p+qp + q and ss are relatively prime and rr is not divisible by the square of any prime. Find p+q+r+s.p + q + r + s.

Solution:

Replacing each cos2\cos^2 by 1sin2,1 - \sin^2, the first equation becomes sin2A+sin2B2sinAsinBcosC=18.\sin^2 A + \sin^2 B - 2 \sin A \sin B \cos C = \frac{1}{8}. By the law of sines, sinA=a2R\sin A = \frac{a}{2R} and so on, so the left side equals a2+b22abcosC4R2=c24R2=sin2C\frac{a^2 + b^2 - 2ab\cos C}{4R^2} = \frac{c^2}{4R^2} = \sin^2 C by the law of cosines. Hence sin2C=2158=18.\sin^2 C = 2 - \frac{15}{8} = \frac{1}{8}. The same argument turns the second equation into sin2A=2149=49,\sin^2 A = 2 - \frac{14}{9} = \frac{4}{9}, and shows the requested expression equals 2sin2B.2 - \sin^2 B.

Since AA and CC are acute, cosA=53\cos A = \frac{\sqrt{5}}{3} and cosC=144,\cos C = \frac{\sqrt{14}}{4}, with sinA=23\sin A = \frac{2}{3} and sinC=24.\sin C = \frac{\sqrt{2}}{4}. Then sinB=sin(A+C)=23144+5324=214+1012,\sin B = \sin(A + C) = \frac{2}{3} \cdot \frac{\sqrt{14}}{4} + \frac{\sqrt{5}}{3} \cdot \frac{\sqrt{2}}{4} = \frac{2\sqrt{14} + \sqrt{10}}{12}, so sin2B=66+835144=33+43572.\sin^2 B = \frac{66 + 8\sqrt{35}}{144} = \frac{33 + 4\sqrt{35}}{72}.

Therefore 2sin2B=11143572,2 - \sin^2 B = \frac{111 - 4\sqrt{35}}{72}, and p+q+r+s=111+4+35+72=222.p + q + r + s = 111 + 4 + 35 + 72 = 222.

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