2021 AIME I Problem 9

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 9 of the 2021 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2021 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:trapezoidcoordinate geometrydistance formula

Difficulty rating: 2990

9.

Let ABCDABCD be an isosceles trapezoid with AD=BCAD = BC and AB<CD.AB \lt CD. Suppose that the distances from AA to the lines BC,BC, CD,CD, and BDBD are 15,15, 18,18, and 10,10, respectively. Let KK be the area of ABCD.ABCD. Find 2K.\sqrt{2} \cdot K.

Solution:

Since ABCD,AB \parallel CD, the distance 1818 from AA to CDCD is the height. Put D=(0,0),D = (0, 0), C=(c,0),C = (c, 0), A=(a,18),A = (a, 18), B=(ca,18),B = (c - a, 18), and let u=AB=c2a>0.u = AB = c - 2a \gt 0. The point-to-line distance formulas give 18u324+a2=15(to BC),18u324+(u+a)2=10(to BD),\frac{18u}{\sqrt{324 + a^2}} = 15 \quad (\text{to } BC), \qquad \frac{18u}{\sqrt{324 + (u + a)^2}} = 10 \quad (\text{to } BD), so 324+a2=(6u5)2324 + a^2 = \left(\frac{6u}{5}\right)^2 and 324+(u+a)2=(9u5)2.324 + (u + a)^2 = \left(\frac{9u}{5}\right)^2.

Subtracting, u(u+2a)=813625u2=95u2,u(u + 2a) = \frac{81 - 36}{25}u^2 = \frac{9}{5}u^2, hence u+2a=95uu + 2a = \frac{9}{5}u and a=25u.a = \frac{2}{5}u. Substituting back, 324=36u2254u225=32u225,324 = \frac{36u^2}{25} - \frac{4u^2}{25} = \frac{32u^2}{25}, so u2=20258u^2 = \frac{2025}{8} and u=4524.u = \frac{45\sqrt{2}}{4}.

Then CD=c=u+2a=95u=8124,CD = c = u + 2a = \frac{9}{5}u = \frac{81\sqrt{2}}{4}, and K=AB+CD218=9(4524+8124)=56722,K = \frac{AB + CD}{2} \cdot 18 = 9\left(\frac{45\sqrt{2}}{4} + \frac{81\sqrt{2}}{4}\right) = \frac{567\sqrt{2}}{2}, so 2K=567.\sqrt{2} \cdot K = 567.

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