2015 AMC 10A Problem 19

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19.

The isosceles right triangle ABCABC has right angle at CC and area 12.5.12.5. The rays trisecting ∠ACB\angle ACB intersect ABAB at DD and E.E. What is the area of △CDE?\triangle CDE?

523\dfrac{5\sqrt{2}}{3}

503−754\dfrac{50\sqrt{3}-75}{4}

1538\dfrac{15\sqrt{3}}{8}

50−2532\dfrac{50-25\sqrt{3}}{2}

256\dfrac{25}{6}

Answer: D
Concepts:special right trianglearea decompositiontriangle area
Difficulty rating: 1880
Small Hint:

Use the 30∘30^\circ trisector and subtract two congruent corner triangles

Big Hint:

If AC=BC=5AC=BC=5, find the height of △ACD\triangle ACD

Solution:

Since △ABC\triangle ABC is isosceles right with area 12.512.5, its legs have length 55. The trisectors make ∠ACD=30∘\angle ACD=30^\circ and ∠BCE=30∘\angle BCE=30^\circ, so △ACD\triangle ACD and △BCE\triangle BCE have equal area.

Drop a perpendicular from DD to AC,AC, with foot F.F. Since DD lies on ABAB and ∠A=45∘,\angle A=45^\circ, △AFD\triangle AFD is isosceles right. Let AF=DF=h.AF=DF=h. Then CF=5−h,CF=5-h, and the 30∘30^\circ angle gives CFDF=3.\frac{CF}{DF}=\sqrt{3}. Thus 5−h=h35-h=h\sqrt{3}, so h=51+3=53−52h=\frac{5}{1+\sqrt{3}}=\frac{5\sqrt{3}-5}{2}.

Therefore [ACD]=12⋅5⋅h=253−254. \begin{aligned} &[ACD]=\frac12\cdot 5\cdot h \\ &=\frac{25\sqrt{3}-25}{4}. \end{aligned} Subtracting the two congruent corner triangles from △ABC\triangle ABC, [CDE]=252−2⋅253−254=50−2532. \begin{aligned} &[CDE]=\frac{25}{2} \\ &\quad {}-2\cdot\frac{25\sqrt{3}-25}{4} \\ &=\frac{50-25\sqrt{3}}{2}. \end{aligned}

Thus, D is the correct answer.

Problem 18#18
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