2023 AIME II Problem 6

Attempt Problem 6 of the 2023 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 2023 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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6.

Consider the L-shaped region formed by three unit squares joined at their sides, as shown below. Two points AA and BB are chosen independently and uniformly at random from inside the region. The probability that the midpoint of AB\overline{AB} also lies inside this L-shaped region can be expressed as mn,\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 35
Concepts:geometric probabilityindependent eventscasework
Difficulty rating: 2740
Solution:

Place the region as [0,1]2([0,1]×[1,2])[0,1]^2 \cup \bigl([0,1] \times [1,2]\bigr) ([1,2]×[0,1]),\cup \bigl([1,2] \times [0,1]\bigr), so it is the 2×22 \times 2 square with the top-right unit square removed. Both coordinates of the midpoint are averages of numbers in [0,2],[0, 2], so the midpoint always lies in the 2×22 \times 2 square; it fails to lie in the region exactly when it lands in the missing square, i.e. when xA+xB>2x_A + x_B \gt 2 and yA+yB>2.y_A + y_B \gt 2.

If neither point is in the right square, then xA+xB2;x_A + x_B \le 2; if neither is in the top square, then yA+yB2.y_A + y_B \le 2. So failure requires one point in the top square and the other in the right square, which happens with probability 21313=29.2 \cdot \frac{1}{3} \cdot \frac{1}{3} = \frac{2}{9}. In that case, one xx-coordinate is uniform on [0,1][0,1] and the other on [1,2],[1,2], so xA+xB>2x_A + x_B \gt 2 with probability 12,\frac{1}{2}, and independently yA+yB>2y_A + y_B \gt 2 with probability 12.\frac{1}{2}.

The failure probability is 2914=118,\frac{2}{9} \cdot \frac{1}{4} = \frac{1}{18}, so the desired probability is 1718\frac{17}{18} and m+n=17+18=35.m + n = 17 + 18 = 35.

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