2021 AMC 10B Spring Problem 14

Attempt Problem 14 of the 2021 AMC 10B Spring below, then check your answer against the video solution and professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2021 AMC 10B Spring solutions, or check the answer key.

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14.

Three equally spaced parallel lines intersect a circle, creating three chords of lengths 38,38,38,38, and 34.34. What is the distance between two adjacent parallel lines?

512 5\frac12

6 6

612 6\frac12

7 7

712 7\frac12

Answer: B
Concepts:chordcirclePythagorean Theorem
Difficulty rating: 1540
Video solution:
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Written solution:

The two chords of length 3838 are equally far from the center of the circle. They cannot lie on the two outer lines: then the center would lie on the middle line, whose chord would be a diameter longer than 38,38, not the given 34.34. Therefore, the equal chords lie on adjacent lines, with the center halfway between them. Let that half-distance be d.d. Then each 3838-chord is distance dd from the center, and the 3434-chord is distance 3d3d from the center.

If the circle has radius r,r, then

r2=192+d2=172+(3d)2.r^2=19^2+d^2=17^2+(3d)^2.

Thus 192172=8d2,19^2-17^2=8d^2, so 72=8d2,72=8d^2, and d=3.d=3. The distance between adjacent parallel lines is 2d=6.2d=6.

Thus, the answer is B .

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