2021 AMC 10B Fall Problem 15

Attempt Problem 15 of the 2021 AMC 10B Fall 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 2021 AMC 10B Fall solutions, or check the answer key.

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15.

In square ABCD,ABCD, points PP and QQ lie on AD‾\overline{AD} and AB‾,\overline{AB}, respectively. Segments BP‾\overline{BP} and CQ‾\overline{CQ} intersect at right angles at R,R, with BR=6BR = 6 and PR=7.PR = 7. What is the area of the square?

85 85

93 93

100 100

117 117

125 125

Answer: D
Concepts:square (geometry)congruence (geometry)similarityPythagorean Theorem
Difficulty rating: 1950
Small Hint:

BP=13BP=13 by the 6,7,136,7,13 triangle

Big Hint:

Use the altitude theorem in right triangle BQCBQC

Solution:

Since BR=6BR=6 and PR=7,PR=7, we have BP=13.BP=13. The right-angle and square-angle chasing gives △PAB≅△QBC,\triangle PAB\cong\triangle QBC, so CQ=BP=13.CQ=BP=13.

Because BP⊥CQ,BP\perp CQ, point RR is the foot of the altitude from BB to the hypotenuse CQCQ of right triangle BQC.BQC. Thus QR⋅RC=BR2=36QR\cdot RC=BR^2=36 and QR+RC=CQ=13.QR+RC=CQ=13.

So QRQR and RCRC are 44 and 9.9. Because PP lies on AD‾,\overline{AD}, we have AP≤AB.AP\le AB. Congruence gives BQ=AP,BQ=AP, while the right-triangle projection formulas give BQ2=CQ⋅QRBQ^2=CQ\cdot QR and BC2=CQ⋅RC.BC^2=CQ\cdot RC. Hence QR≤RC,QR\le RC, so QR=4QR=4 and RC=9.RC=9. Therefore, BC2=BR2+RC2=62+92=117. \begin{aligned} BC^2&=BR^2+RC^2\\ &=6^2+9^2\\ &=117. \end{aligned}

The area of the square is 117.117.

Thus, the answer is D .

Problem 14#14
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