2022 AIME I Problem 10

Attempt Problem 10 of the 2022 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 2022 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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10.

Three spheres with radii 11,11, 13,13, and 1919 are mutually externally tangent. A plane intersects the spheres in three congruent circles centered at A,A, B,B, and C,C, respectively, and the centers of the spheres all lie on the same side of this plane. Suppose that AB2=560.AB^2 = 560. Find AC2.AC^2.

Answer: 756
Concepts:sphere3D geometryPythagorean Theorem
Difficulty rating: 2560
Solution:

Let the sphere centers be at heights h1,h2,h3h_1, h_2, h_3 above the plane. Each circle's center is the foot of the perpendicular from the sphere's center, and the common circle radius ρ\rho satisfies ρ2=112h12\rho^2 = 11^2 - h_1^2 =132h22= 13^2 - h_2^2 =192h32.= 19^2 - h_3^2.

The first two spheres are tangent, so their centers are 11+13=2411 + 13 = 24 apart, and projecting onto the plane, AB2=242(h2h1)2.AB^2 = 24^2 - (h_2 - h_1)^2. Thus (h2h1)2=576560=16.(h_2 - h_1)^2 = 576 - 560 = 16. Congruence gives h22h12=169121=48,h_2^2 - h_1^2 = 169 - 121 = 48, so h2h1=4h_2 - h_1 = 4 and h2+h1=12h_2 + h_1 = 12 (the other sign gives a negative sum), yielding h1=4,h_1 = 4, h2=8,h_2 = 8, and ρ2=12116=105.\rho^2 = 121 - 16 = 105. Then h32=361105=256,h_3^2 = 361 - 105 = 256, so h3=16.h_3 = 16.

The first and third centers are 11+19=3011 + 19 = 30 apart, so AC2=302(h3h1)2=900144=756. \begin{aligned} AC^2 &= 30^2 - (h_3 - h_1)^2 \\ &= 900 - 144 = 756. \end{aligned}

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