2020 AIME I Problem 15

Attempt Problem 15 of the 2020 AIME I 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 2020 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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15.

Let △ABC\triangle ABC be an acute triangle with circumcircle ω\omega and orthocenter H.H. Suppose the tangent to the circumcircle of △HBC\triangle HBC at HH intersects ω\omega at points XX and YY with HA=3,HA = 3, HX=2,HX = 2, and HY=6.HY = 6. The area of △ABC\triangle ABC can be written as mn,m\sqrt{n}, where mm and nn are positive integers, and nn is not divisible by the square of any prime. Find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 58
Concepts:circumcircle, circumcenter, and circumradiustransformationvector
Difficulty rating: 3500
Small Hint:

The circumcircle of HBCHBC is the reflection of ω\omega over BC.BC. With circumcenter OO at the origin its center is B+C=H−A,B + C = H - A, so line XYXY is perpendicular to OA.OA.

Big Hint:

Put A=(0,R)A = (0, R) so XYXY is horizontal. Then the half-chord is 4,4, HH is 22 from the chord’s midpoint, and HA=3HA = 3 gives R−h=5,R - h = \sqrt{5}, determining R.R.

Solution:

Reflecting HH over line BCBC lands on ω,\omega, so the circumcircle of HBCHBC is the reflection of ω\omega over BC.BC. Take the circumcenter OO as the origin, so that H=A+B+CH = A + B + C as vectors. If MM is the midpoint of BC‾,\overline{BC}, then OM⊥BC,OM \perp BC, so the reflected center is 2M−O=B+C=H−A.2M - O = B + C = H - A. Tangency at HH means XYXY is perpendicular to the radius from B+CB + C to H,H, which is the vector A:A: the chord XYXY is perpendicular to OA.OA.

Place A=(0,R)A = (0, R) so that XYXY is horizontal at height h,h, with H=(x0,h).H = (x_0, h). The half-chord length is R2−h2,\sqrt{R^2 - h^2}, and HX=2,HX = 2, HY=6HY = 6 give R2−h2=4\sqrt{R^2 - h^2} = 4 with ∣x0∣=2.|x_0| = 2. From HA=3:HA = 3: 4+(R−h)2=9,4 + (R - h)^2 = 9, so R−h=5.R - h = \sqrt{5}. Then 16=R2−h2=(R−h)(R+h)=5(2R−5), \begin{aligned} 16 &= R^2 - h^2 \\ &= (R - h)(R + h) \\ &= \sqrt{5}\left(2R - \sqrt{5}\right), \end{aligned} giving R=2125.R = \frac{21}{2\sqrt{5}}.

Now B+C=H−A=(±2,−5),B + C = H - A = (\pm 2, -\sqrt{5}), so M=(±1,−52)M = \left(\pm 1, -\frac{\sqrt{5}}{2}\right) and OM=32,OM = \frac{3}{2}, whence BC=2R2−94=2995.BC = 2\sqrt{R^2 - \frac{9}{4}} = 2\sqrt{\frac{99}{5}}. The distance from AA to line BCBC (through M,M, perpendicular to OMOM) is ∣A⋅M−OM2∣OM=214+9432=5,\frac{|A \cdot M - OM^2|}{OM} = \frac{\frac{21}{4} + \frac{9}{4}}{\frac{3}{2}} = 5, using A⋅M=−5R2=−214.A \cdot M = -\frac{\sqrt{5}R}{2} = -\frac{21}{4}. Hence [ABC]=12⋅2995⋅5=495=355, \begin{aligned} [ABC] &= \frac{1}{2} \cdot 2\sqrt{\frac{99}{5}} \cdot 5 \\ &= \sqrt{495} \\ &= 3\sqrt{55}, \end{aligned} and m+n=3+55=58.m + n = 3 + 55 = 58.

Problem 14#14
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