2014 AIME II Problem 12

Attempt Problem 12 of the 2014 AIME II 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 2014 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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12.

Suppose that the angles of △ABC\triangle ABC satisfy cos⁡(3A)+cos⁡(3B)\cos(3A) + \cos(3B) +cos⁡(3C)=1.+ \cos(3C) = 1. Two sides of the triangle have lengths 1010 and 13.13. There is a positive integer mm so that the maximum possible length for the remaining side of △ABC\triangle ABC is m.\sqrt{m}. Find m.m.
Answer: 399
Concepts:trigonometric identityfactoringlaw of cosines
Small hint:
Write 1−cos⁡3A=2sin⁡23A21 - \cos 3A = 2\sin^2 \frac{3A}{2} and combine cos⁡3B+cos⁡3C\cos 3B + \cos 3C by sum-to-product; the whole condition factors
Big hint:
One angle must equal 120∘.120^\circ. The remaining side is longest when that angle lies between the sides of lengths 1010 and 13.13.
Solution:
Using 1−cos⁡3A=2sin⁡23A21 - \cos 3A = 2\sin^2\frac{3A}{2} and cos⁡3B+cos⁡3C=\cos 3B + \cos 3C = 2cos⁡3(B+C)2cos⁡3(B−C)2,2\cos\frac{3(B+C)}{2}\cos\frac{3(B-C)}{2}, together with 3(B+C)2=270∘−3A2\frac{3(B+C)}{2} = 270^\circ - \frac{3A}{2} so that cos⁡3(B+C)2=−sin⁡3A2,\cos\frac{3(B+C)}{2} = -\sin\frac{3A}{2}, the condition becomes 0=2sin⁡3A2⋅(sin⁡3A2+cos⁡3(B−C)2)=2sin⁡3A2⋅(cos⁡3(B−C)2−cos⁡3(B+C)2)=4sin⁡3A2sin⁡3B2sin⁡3C2. \begin{aligned} 0 &= 2\sin\tfrac{3A}{2} \\ &\quad {}\cdot \left(\sin\tfrac{3A}{2} + \cos\tfrac{3(B-C)}{2}\right) \\ &= 2\sin\tfrac{3A}{2} \\ &\quad {}\cdot \left(\cos\tfrac{3(B-C)}{2} - \cos\tfrac{3(B+C)}{2}\right) \\ &= 4\sin\tfrac{3A}{2}\sin\tfrac{3B}{2}\sin\tfrac{3C}{2}. \end{aligned}
For an angle XX of a triangle, 3X2\frac{3X}{2} lies strictly between 0∘0^\circ and 270∘,270^\circ, so sin⁡3X2=0\sin\frac{3X}{2} = 0 exactly when X=120∘.X = 120^\circ. Hence one angle of the triangle is 120∘.120^\circ.
The remaining side is longest when the 120∘120^\circ angle sits between the sides of lengths 1010 and 1313 (if 120∘120^\circ were opposite one of them, the remaining side would be shorter than that side). By the law of cosines its length is 102+132+10⋅13=399,\sqrt{10^2 + 13^2 + 10 \cdot 13} = \sqrt{399}, so m=399.m = 399.
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