2024 AIME II Problem 5

Attempt Problem 5 of the 2024 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 2024 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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5.

Let ABCDEFABCDEF be a convex equilateral hexagon in which all pairs of opposite sides are parallel. The triangle whose sides are extensions of segments AB,\overline{AB}, CD,\overline{CD}, and EF\overline{EF} has side lengths 200,240,200, 240, and 300.300. Find the side length of the hexagon.

Answer: 80
Concepts:similarityparallel lines
Difficulty rating: 2510
Solution:

Let ss be the hexagon's side length, and let the triangle formed by lines AB,AB, CD,CD, EFEF have sides of lengths P,P, Q,Q, RR along those three lines, respectively. The corner triangle cut off at the vertex XX where lines ABAB and CDCD meet has third side BC,BC, and since BCEF,BC \parallel EF, all three of its sides are parallel to sides of the big triangle. So it is similar to the big triangle with ratio BCR=sR,\frac{BC}{R} = \frac{s}{R}, and its side along line ABAB has length PsR.P \cdot \frac{s}{R}. Likewise the corner at ABEFAB \cap EF contains FACDFA \parallel CD and cuts off PsQP \cdot \frac{s}{Q} from the PP-side.

The PP-side therefore decomposes as corner piece, AB,AB, corner piece: P=PsR+s+PsQ,P = P \cdot \frac{s}{R} + s + P \cdot \frac{s}{Q}, and dividing by PP gives 1=s(1P+1Q+1R),1 = s\left(\frac{1}{P} + \frac{1}{Q} + \frac{1}{R}\right), symmetric in the three sides.

Hence s=11200+1240+1300=12006+5+4=80.s = \frac{1}{\frac{1}{200} + \frac{1}{240} + \frac{1}{300}} = \frac{1200}{6 + 5 + 4} = 80.

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