2021 AMC 12A Fall Problem 14

Attempt Problem 14 of the 2021 AMC 12A 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 12A Fall solutions, or check the answer key.

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14.

In the figure, equilateral hexagon ABCDEFABCDEF has three nonadjacent acute interior angles that each measure 30.30^\circ. The enclosed area of the hexagon is 63.6\sqrt{3}. What is the perimeter of the hexagon?

44

434\sqrt{3}

1212

1818

12312\sqrt{3}

Answer: E
Concepts:area decompositiontrigonometry
Difficulty rating: 1730
Small Hint:

Let the side be s.s. The three 3030^\circ tips are isosceles triangles with legs s;s; they sit on the sides of the inner triangle formed by the three reflex vertices

Big Hint:

Each tip has area 12s2sin30,\tfrac12 s^2 \sin 30^\circ, and the inner equilateral triangle has side 2ssin152s\sin 15^\circ

Solution:

Let the common side length be s.s. The three acute vertices are the tips of isosceles triangles with two sides ss and apex 30;30^\circ; each has area 12s2sin30=s24.\tfrac12 s^2 \sin 30^\circ = \tfrac{s^2}{4}.

The three reflex vertices form an inner equilateral triangle with side 2ssin15,2s\sin 15^\circ, whose area is 3s2sin215.\sqrt3\,s^2\sin^2 15^\circ. Using sin215=234,\sin^2 15^\circ = \tfrac{2 - \sqrt3}{4}, the total area is 3s24+3s2234=s232. \frac{3s^2}{4} + \sqrt3\,s^2\cdot\frac{2 - \sqrt3}{4} = \frac{s^2\sqrt3}{2}.

Setting s232=63\tfrac{s^2\sqrt3}{2} = 6\sqrt3 gives s2=12,s^2 = 12, so s=23s = 2\sqrt3 and the perimeter is 6s=123.6s = 12\sqrt3.

Thus, the correct answer is E.

Problem 13#13
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