2024 AMC 12A Problem 24

Attempt Problem 24 of the 2024 AMC 12A 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 2024 AMC 12A solutions, or check the answer key.

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24.

A disphenoid is a tetrahedron whose triangular faces are congruent to one another. What is the least total surface area of a disphenoid whose faces are scalene triangles with integer side lengths?

3\sqrt3

3153\sqrt{15}

1515

15715\sqrt7

24624\sqrt6

Answer: D
Concepts:3D geometryHeron’s Formula
Difficulty rating: 2520
Solution:

A disphenoid exists (as the tetrahedron formed by the face-plane midpoints of a box) exactly when the common face triangle is acute, and its total surface area is 44 times one face's area. Write the integer side lengths as u<v<w.u\lt v\lt w. If u3,u\le3, then wv+1w\ge v+1 and u2+v2(v+1)2u^2+v^2\le(v+1)^2 (with equality only for (u,v,w)=(3,4,5)(u,v,w)=(3,4,5)), so the triangle is not acute. Thus u4.u\ge4.

The triangle (4,5,6)(4,5,6) is acute because 42+52>62.4^2+5^2\gt6^2. It also has the least possible area. The largest angle of any acute triangle is at least 60,60^\circ, so a candidate with (u,v)(4,5)(u,v)\ne(4,5) has area at least 12uvsin60\tfrac12uv\sin60^\circ 12(4)(6)32=63,\ge\tfrac12(4)(6)\tfrac{\sqrt3}{2}=6\sqrt3, which is greater than 1574,\tfrac{15\sqrt7}{4}, the area of (4,5,6).(4,5,6).

By Heron's formula with s=152,s=\tfrac{15}2, that area is 152725232=1574.\sqrt{\tfrac{15}2\cdot\tfrac72\cdot\tfrac52\cdot\tfrac32}=\tfrac{15\sqrt7}{4}. The total surface area is 41574=157.4\cdot\tfrac{15\sqrt7}{4}=15\sqrt7.

Thus, the correct answer is D.

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