1962 AMC 12 Problem 39
Attempt Problem 39 of the 1962 AMC 12 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 1962 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.
All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
39.
The medians and of a triangle with unequal sides are, respectively, inches and inches long. Its area is square inches. The length of the third median, in inches, is:
Answer: C
Small Hint:
The three medians form the side lengths of a triangle whose area is three-fourths the original area
Big Hint:
Use the two known median lengths and that area to find the two possible included angles, then reject the case that makes two medians equal
Solution:
The triangle whose sides are the three medians has area If is the included angle between its sides and then so By the law of cosines, the third median satisfies giving or The value would make two medians, and hence two sides, equal. Because the triangle has unequal sides,
Therefore, the correct answer is C.
Problem 39 in Other Years
1950 AMC 12 · 1951 AMC 12 · 1952 AMC 12 · 1953 AMC 12 · 1954 AMC 12 · 1955 AMC 12 · 1956 AMC 12 · 1957 AMC 12 · 1958 AMC 12 · 1959 AMC 12 · 1960 AMC 12 · 1961 AMC 12 · 1963 AMC 12 · 1964 AMC 12 · 1965 AMC 12 · 1966 AMC 12 · 1967 AMC 12