2021 AMC 12A Spring Problem 17

Attempt Problem 17 of the 2021 AMC 12A Spring 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 12A Spring solutions, or check the answer key.

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17.

Trapezoid ABCDABCD has ABCD,AB \parallel CD, BC=CD=43,BC = CD = 43, and ADBD.AD \perp BD. Let OO be the intersection of the diagonals ACAC and BD,BD, and let PP be the midpoint of BD.BD. Given that OP=11,OP = 11, the length ADAD can be written in the form mn,m\sqrt n, where mm and nn are positive integers and nn is not divisible by the square of any prime. What is m+n?m + n?

6565

132132

157157

194194

215215

Answer: D
Concepts:coordinate geometrytrapezoidsimilarity
Difficulty rating: 2080
Small Hint:

Place DD at the origin with BDBD along one axis and ADAD along the other, since ADBDAD \perp BD

Big Hint:

Using BC=CDBC = CD forces CC to be the midpoint-type point with parameter 12;\tfrac12; then OO divides BDBD so that OP=BD6OP = \tfrac{BD}{6}

Solution:

Place D=(0,0)D = (0,0) with B=(b,0)B = (b, 0) on one axis and A=(0,a)A = (0, a) on the other, so that ADBD.AD \perp BD. Since CDAB,CD \parallel AB, write C=t(b,a)C = t(b, -a) for some t.t. Then CD=ta2+b2CD = t\sqrt{a^2+b^2} and BC2=b2(1t)2+t2a2.BC^2 = b^2(1-t)^2 + t^2a^2. Setting BC=CDBC = CD gives t2=(1t)2,t^2 = (1-t)^2, so t=12.t = \tfrac12.

Thus C=(b2,a2),C = \left(\tfrac{b}{2}, -\tfrac{a}{2}\right), and CD=43CD = 43 gives a2+b2=4432=7396.a^2 + b^2 = 4\cdot 43^2 = 7396. The diagonal ACAC meets BDBD (the xx-axis) at O=(b3,0),O = \left(\tfrac{b}{3}, 0\right), while P=(b2,0).P = \left(\tfrac{b}{2}, 0\right). Hence OP=b6=11,OP = \tfrac{b}{6} = 11, so b=66.b = 66.

Then a2=7396662=3040,a^2 = 7396 - 66^2 = 3040, so AD=a=3040=4190.AD = a = \sqrt{3040} = 4\sqrt{190}. With m=4m = 4 and n=190,n = 190, we get m+n=194.m + n = 194.

Thus, the correct answer is D.

Problem 16#16
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