2026 AIME II Problem 12

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Concepts:3D geometryspherecoordinate geometrysymmetry

Difficulty rating: 2990

12.

Consider a tetrahedron with two isosceles triangle faces with side lengths 510,5\sqrt{10}, 510,5\sqrt{10}, and 1010 and two isosceles triangle faces with side lengths 510,5\sqrt{10}, 510,5\sqrt{10}, and 18.18. The four vertices of the tetrahedron lie on a sphere with center S,S, and the four faces of the tetrahedron are tangent to a sphere with center R.R. The distance RSRS can be written as mn,\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Solution:

The four faces have side multiset {510×8, 10×2, 18×2},\{5\sqrt{10} \times 8,\ 10 \times 2,\ 18 \times 2\}, and each edge lies on two faces, so the tetrahedron ABCDABCD has AB=10AB = 10 and CD=18CD = 18 as opposite edges and the other four edges equal to 510.5\sqrt{10}. Place A=(5,0,12),B=(5,0,12),C=(0,9,0),D=(0,9,0),A = (-5, 0, 12), \quad B = (5, 0, 12), \quad C = (0, -9, 0), \quad D = (0, 9, 0), which is consistent since AC2=25+81+144=250=(510)2.AC^2 = 25 + 81 + 144 = 250 = (5\sqrt{10})^2. The configuration is symmetric under xxx \to -x and under yy,y \to -y, so both centers lie on the zz-axis.

For S=(0,0,s),S = (0, 0, s), equating distances to AA and CC gives 25+(12s)2=81+s2,25 + (12 - s)^2 = 81 + s^2, so s=113.s = \frac{11}{3}. For R=(0,0,t),R = (0, 0, t), face ABCABC has plane 4y3z+36=04y - 3z + 36 = 0 and face ACDACD has plane 12x+5z=0,12x + 5z = 0, so equal distances require 363t5=5t13    t=11716,\frac{36 - 3t}{5} = \frac{5t}{13} \implies t = \frac{117}{16}, and by the two mirror symmetries this point is equidistant (at distance 4516\frac{45}{16}) from all four faces.

Therefore RS=11716113=35117648=17548,RS = \frac{117}{16} - \frac{11}{3} = \frac{351 - 176}{48} = \frac{175}{48}, which is in lowest terms, so m+n=175+48=223.m + n = 175 + 48 = 223.

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