2017 AIME II Problem 3

Attempt Problem 3 of the 2017 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 2017 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

3.

A triangle has vertices A(0,0),A(0, 0), B(12,0),B(12, 0), and C(8,10).C(8, 10). The probability that a randomly chosen point inside the triangle is closer to vertex BB than to either vertex AA or vertex CC can be written as pq,\frac{p}{q}, where pp and qq are relatively prime positive integers. Find p+q.p + q.
Answer: 409
Concepts:geometric probabilityperpendicular bisectorcoordinate geometry
Small hint:
The points closer to BB than to AA lie on one side of the perpendicular bisector of AB‾;\overline{AB}; likewise for CC
Big hint:
The bisectors are x=6x = 6 and y=25x+1;y = \frac{2}{5}x + 1; find the area of the quadrilateral they cut off near BB and divide by 6060
Solution:
The points closer to BB than to AA lie to the right of the perpendicular bisector of AB‾,\overline{AB}, the line x=6.x = 6. The points closer to BB than to CC lie below the perpendicular bisector of BC‾,\overline{BC}, which passes through the midpoint (10,5)(10, 5) with slope 25\frac{2}{5} (the negative reciprocal of the slope −52-\frac{5}{2} of BCBC): the line y=25x+1.y = \frac{2}{5}x + 1.
Inside the triangle, the favorable region is the quadrilateral with vertices (6,0),(6, 0), B(12,0),B(12, 0), the midpoint (10,5)(10, 5) of BC‾,\overline{BC}, and (6,175),\left(6, \frac{17}{5}\right), where the two bisectors meet. Splitting it along the segment from (6,0)(6, 0) to (10,5),(10, 5), its area is 12⋅175⋅4+12⋅6⋅5=345+15=1095. \begin{aligned} &\frac{1}{2} \cdot \frac{17}{5} \cdot 4 + \frac{1}{2} \cdot 6 \cdot 5 \\ &= \frac{34}{5} + 15 \\ &= \frac{109}{5}. \end{aligned}
The triangle has area 12⋅12⋅10=60,\frac{1}{2} \cdot 12 \cdot 10 = 60, so the probability is 109560=109300,\frac{\frac{109}{5}}{60} = \frac{109}{300}, and p+q=109+300=409.p + q = 109 + 300 = 409.
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