2023 AMC 10A Problem 17

Attempt Problem 17 of the 2023 AMC 10A 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 2023 AMC 10A solutions, or check the answer key.

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17.

Let ABCDABCD be a rectangle with AB=30AB = 30 and BC=28.BC = 28. Points PP and QQ lie on BCBC and CDCD respectively so that all sides of △ABP,\triangle ABP, △PCQ,\triangle PCQ, and △QDA\triangle QDA have integer lengths. What is the perimeter of △APQ?\triangle APQ?

8484

8686

8888

9090

9292

Answer: A
Concepts:Pythagorean Triplerectanglesystematic listing
Difficulty rating: 1840
Small Hint:

Each of the three triangles is right-angled at a corner, so AP2=302+BP2AP^2 = 30^2 + BP^2 and QA2=282+DQ2QA^2 = 28^2 + DQ^2 must be perfect squares

Big Hint:

Use the triples 3030-1616-3434 and 2121-2828-35;35; then PQPQ comes out an integer too

Solution:

Set A=(0,0)A = (0,0), B=(30,0)B = (30,0), C=(30,28)C = (30,28), D=(0,28)D = (0,28), with P=(30,p)P = (30, p) on BCBC and Q=(30−q,28)Q = (30 - q, 28) on CDCD. The three right triangles give AP=302+p2AP = \sqrt{30^2 + p^2}, QA=282+(30−q)2QA = \sqrt{28^2 + (30 - q)^2}, and PQ=(28−p)2+q2PQ = \sqrt{(28 - p)^2 + q^2}. For 0≤p≤280 \leq p \leq 28, the equation (AP−p)(AP+p)=900(AP-p)(AP+p)=900 gives only p=0p=0 and p=16p=16, with AP=30AP=30 and AP=34AP=34. Similarly, setting x=30−qx=30-q, the equation (QA−x)(QA+x)=784(QA-x)(QA+x)=784 with 0≤x≤300 \leq x \leq 30 gives x=0x=0 or x=21x=21. Testing these four combinations in the formula for PQPQ, only p=16p=16, x=21x=21 works. Thus q=9q=9, QA=35QA=35, and PQ=122+92=15PQ=\sqrt{12^2+9^2}=15. The perimeter of △APQ\triangle APQ is 34+15+35=8434+15+35=84. Thus, A is the correct answer.

Problem 16#16
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