1997 AIME Problem 15

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 15 of the 1997 AIME, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1997 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:equilateral triangletrigonometryoptimization

Difficulty rating: 3160

15.

The sides of rectangle ABCDABCD have lengths 1010 and 11.11. An equilateral triangle is drawn so that no point of the triangle lies outside ABCD.ABCD. The maximum possible area of such a triangle can be written in the form pqr,p\sqrt{q} - r, where p,p, q,q, and rr are positive integers, and qq is not divisible by the square of any prime number. Find p+q+r.p + q + r.

Solution:

Place the rectangle with corners (0,0),(0, 0), (11,0),(11, 0), (11,10),(11, 10), (0,10).(0, 10). A maximal equilateral triangle can be enlarged unless it is pinned by the rectangle, and the extremal position has one vertex at a corner, say the origin, with the other two vertices s(cosθ,sinθ)s(\cos\theta, \sin\theta) and s(cos(θ+60),sin(θ+60))s\bigl(\cos(\theta + 60^\circ), \sin(\theta + 60^\circ)\bigr) touching the far sides x=11x = 11 and y=10:y = 10: scosθ=11,ssin(θ+60)=10.s\cos\theta = 11, \qquad s\sin(\theta + 60^\circ) = 10.

Dividing, 11sin(θ+60)=10cosθ,11\sin(\theta + 60^\circ) = 10\cos\theta, and expanding the left side gives 112sinθ+1132cosθ=10cosθ,\frac{11}{2}\sin\theta + \frac{11\sqrt{3}}{2}\cos\theta = 10\cos\theta, so tanθ=2011311\tan\theta = \frac{20 - 11\sqrt{3}}{11} (about 4.9,4.9^\circ, a legal tilt). Then s2=121cos2θ=121(1+tan2θ)=121+(20113)2=8844403.s^2 = \frac{121}{\cos^2\theta} = 121\left(1 + \tan^2\theta\right) = 121 + \left(20 - 11\sqrt{3}\right)^2 = 884 - 440\sqrt{3}.

The area is 34s2=34(8844403)=221333052.8,\frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}s^2 = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}\left(884 - 440\sqrt{3}\right) = 221\sqrt{3} - 330 \approx 52.8, which indeed beats the untilted triangle of side 10.10. Thus p+q+r=221+3+330=554.p + q + r = 221 + 3 + 330 = 554.

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