2004 AMC 12A Problem 24

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 24 of the 2004 AMC 12A, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2004 AMC 12A solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:area decompositionsectorcircle

Difficulty rating: 2350

24.

A plane contains points AA and BB with AB=1.AB = 1. Let SS be the union of all disks of radius 11 in the plane that cover AB.\overline{AB}. What is the area of S?S?

2π+32\pi + \sqrt{3}

8π3\dfrac{8\pi}{3}

3π323\pi - \dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}

10π33\dfrac{10\pi}{3} - \sqrt{3}

4π234\pi - 2\sqrt{3}

Solution:

A radius-11 disk covers segment AB\overline{AB} exactly when its center is within 11 of both AA and B.B. That region RR is the lens where the two unit circles centered at AA and BB overlap.

Each unit circle passes through the other's center, so the lens is bounded by two 120120^\circ arcs. Two 120120^\circ sectors of area π3\tfrac{\pi}{3} overlap in two equilateral triangles of total area 32,\tfrac{\sqrt3}{2}, giving RR area 2π332.\tfrac{2\pi}{3} - \tfrac{\sqrt3}{2}.

The set SS consists of all points within 11 of R.R. Beyond RR itself, this adds two 6060^\circ sectors of radius 11 (each area π6\tfrac{\pi}{6}) and two 120120^\circ annuli of outer radius 22 and inner radius 11 (each area π\pi).

Therefore the area of SS is (2π332)+2π6+2π=3π32. \left(\tfrac{2\pi}{3} - \tfrac{\sqrt3}{2}\right) + 2 \cdot \tfrac{\pi}{6} + 2\pi = 3\pi - \tfrac{\sqrt3}{2}.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

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