2015 AIME II Problem 4

Attempt Problem 4 of the 2015 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 2015 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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4.

In an isosceles trapezoid, the parallel bases have lengths log⁡3\log 3 and log⁡192,\log 192, and the altitude to these bases has length log⁡16.\log 16. The perimeter of the trapezoid can be written in the form log⁡2p3q,\log 2^p 3^q, where pp and qq are positive integers. Find p+q.p + q.

Answer: 18
Concepts:logarithmtrapezoidPythagorean Triple
Difficulty rating: 2170
Small Hint:

Each leg is the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs log⁡16\log 16 and half of log⁡192−log⁡3\log 192 - \log 3

Big Hint:

Those legs are 4log⁡24\log 2 and 3log⁡2,3\log 2, so each slanted side is 5log⁡25\log 2 by a 33-44-55 triangle

Solution:

Dropping altitudes from the ends of the short base, each leg is the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are the altitude log⁡16=4log⁡2\log 16 = 4\log 2 and half the difference of the bases, 12(log⁡192−log⁡3)\frac{1}{2}(\log 192 - \log 3) =12log⁡64= \frac{1}{2}\log 64 =3log⁡2.= 3 \log 2. By the 33-44-55 ratio, each leg has length 5log⁡2.5 \log 2.

The perimeter is log⁡3+log⁡192+2⋅5log⁡2=log⁡(3⋅192)+log⁡210=log⁡(2632)+log⁡210=log⁡21632, \begin{aligned} &\log 3 + \log 192 + 2 \cdot 5\log 2 \\ &= \log(3 \cdot 192) + \log 2^{10} \\ &= \log(2^6 3^2) + \log 2^{10} \\ &= \log 2^{16} 3^2, \end{aligned} so p+q=16+2=18.p + q = 16 + 2 = 18.

Problem 3#3
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