2022 AIME I Problem 8

Attempt Problem 8 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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8.

Equilateral triangle △ABC\triangle ABC is inscribed in circle ω\omega with radius 18.18. Circle ωA\omega_A is tangent to sides AB‾\overline{AB} and AC‾\overline{AC} and is internally tangent to ω.\omega. Circles ωB\omega_B and ωC\omega_C are defined analogously. Circles ωA,\omega_A, ωB,\omega_B, and ωC\omega_C meet in six points — two points for each pair of circles. The three intersection points closest to the vertices of △ABC\triangle ABC are the vertices of a large equilateral triangle in the interior of △ABC,\triangle ABC, and the other three intersection points are the vertices of a smaller equilateral triangle in the interior of △ABC.\triangle ABC. The side length of the smaller equilateral triangle can be written as a−b,\sqrt{a} - \sqrt{b}, where aa and bb are positive integers. Find a+b.a + b.

Answer: 378
Concepts:tangent circlesequilateral trianglecoordinate geometry
Difficulty rating: 2710
Small Hint:

Find ωA\omega_A first: its center lies on line AO,AO, its radius is half its distance from A,A, and internal tangency to ω\omega fixes everything

Big Hint:

The two intersection points of ωB\omega_B and ωC\omega_C lie on line AO,AO, and each triangle’s circumradius is the distance from that point to the center OO

Solution:

Let OO be the center of ω.\omega. The center of ωA\omega_A lies on line AOAO (the bisector of ∠A\angle A) at some distance dd from A;A; since AB‾\overline{AB} makes a 30∘30^\circ angle with AO,AO, the radius is r=dsin⁡30∘=d2.r = d \sin 30^\circ = \frac{d}{2}. Internal tangency to ω\omega requires the center to be 18−r18 - r from O,O, which forces the center past O:O: d−18=18−d2,d - 18 = 18 - \frac{d}{2}, so d=24,d = 24, r=12,r = 12, and the center is 66 beyond O.O.

Place OO at the origin with A=(0,18).A = (0, 18). Then the three centers are OA=(0,−6)O_A = (0, -6) and OB,OC=(±33,3),O_B, O_C = (\pm 3\sqrt{3}, 3), all with radius 12.12. The intersections of ωB\omega_B and ωC\omega_C lie on the yy-axis: 27+(y−3)2=14427 + (y - 3)^2 = 144 gives y=3±117.y = 3 \pm \sqrt{117}. The point (0,3+117)(0, 3 + \sqrt{117}) is closer to AA and belongs to the larger triangle, so the smaller triangle has vertex (0,3−117),(0, 3 - \sqrt{117}), at distance 117−3\sqrt{117} - 3 from O.O.

By symmetry the smaller triangle is equilateral with circumradius 117−3,\sqrt{117} - 3, so its side is 3(117−3)=351−27.\sqrt{3}\left(\sqrt{117} - 3\right) = \sqrt{351} - \sqrt{27}. Thus a+b=351+27=378.a + b = 351 + 27 = 378.

Problem 7#7
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