2016 AIME II Problem 14

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 14 of the 2016 AIME II, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2016 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:3D geometrytrigonometric identityinscribed anglesymmetry

Difficulty rating: 3370

14.

Equilateral ABC\triangle ABC has side length 600.600. Points PP and QQ lie outside the plane of ABC\triangle ABC and are on opposite sides of the plane. Furthermore, PA=PB=PC,PA = PB = PC, and QA=QB=QC,QA = QB = QC, and the planes of PAB\triangle PAB and QAB\triangle QAB form a 120120^\circ dihedral angle (the angle between the two planes). There is a point OO whose distance from each of A,A, B,B, C,C, P,P, and QQ is d.d. Find d.d.

Solution:

Since PA=PB=PCPA = PB = PC and QA=QB=QC,QA = QB = QC, both PP and QQ lie on the line through the center HH of ABC\triangle ABC perpendicular to its plane, on opposite sides. Any point equidistant from A,A, B,B, CC also lies on that line, so OO is on it, and OP=OQ=dOP = OQ = d makes OO the midpoint of PQ,\overline{PQ}, with PQ=2d.PQ = 2d. Let DD be the midpoint of AB\overline{AB} and a=600;a = 600; then DH=a36DH = \frac{a\sqrt{3}}{6} and CH=a33.CH = \frac{a\sqrt{3}}{3}. Since PDAB\overline{PD} \perp \overline{AB} and QDAB,\overline{QD} \perp \overline{AB}, the dihedral angle is PDQ=120;\angle PDQ = 120^\circ; write x=PDHx = \angle PDH and y=QDH,y = \angle QDH, so x+y=120.x + y = 120^\circ.

Right triangles PDHPDH and QDHQDH give PH=DHtanxPH = DH \tan x and QH=DHtany,QH = DH \tan y, so 2d=PQ=PH+QH=a36(tanx+tany).2d = PQ = PH + QH = \frac{a\sqrt{3}}{6}(\tan x + \tan y). Since OC=OP=OQ=d,OC = OP = OQ = d, point CC lies on the circle with diameter PQ,\overline{PQ}, so PCQ=90,\angle PCQ = 90^\circ, and HH is the foot of the altitude from CC to the hypotenuse PQ.\overline{PQ}. Thus CH2=PHQH,CH^2 = PH \cdot QH, which gives tanxtany=CH2DH2=4.\tan x \tan y = \frac{CH^2}{DH^2} = 4.

By the tangent addition formula, 3=tan120=tanx+tany1tanxtany=tanx+tany3,-\sqrt{3} = \tan 120^\circ = \frac{\tan x + \tan y}{1 - \tan x \tan y} = \frac{\tan x + \tan y}{-3}, so tanx+tany=33.\tan x + \tan y = 3\sqrt{3}. Then 2d=a3633=3a2,2d = \frac{a\sqrt{3}}{6} \cdot 3\sqrt{3} = \frac{3a}{2}, so d=3a4=450.d = \frac{3a}{4} = 450.

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