2003 AIME I Problem 10

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 10 of the 2003 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2003 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

All of the real AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12, and AIME problems in our complete solution collection are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

Concepts:law of sineslaw of cosinesisosceles triangle

Difficulty rating: 2920

10.

Triangle ABCABC is isosceles with AC=BCAC = BC and ACB=106.\angle ACB = 106^\circ. Point MM is in the interior of the triangle so that MAC=7\angle MAC = 7^\circ and MCA=23.\angle MCA = 23^\circ. Find the number of degrees in CMB.\angle CMB.

Solution:

Assume AC=BC=1.AC = BC = 1. In triangle AMC,AMC, the angles at AA and CC are 77^\circ and 23,23^\circ, so AMC=150,\angle AMC = 150^\circ, and the Law of Sines gives CM=sin7sin150=2sin7.CM = \frac{\sin 7^\circ}{\sin 150^\circ} = 2\sin 7^\circ.

Also MCB=10623=83,\angle MCB = 106^\circ - 23^\circ = 83^\circ, whose cosine is sin7.\sin 7^\circ. The Law of Cosines in triangle BMCBMC then gives MB2=CM2+CB22CMCBcos83=4sin27+14sin27=1.MB^2 = CM^2 + CB^2 - 2 \cdot CM \cdot CB \cos 83^\circ = 4\sin^2 7^\circ + 1 - 4\sin^2 7^\circ = 1.

So MB=1=CB,MB = 1 = CB, making triangle BMCBMC isosceles with CMB=MCB=83.\angle CMB = \angle MCB = 83^\circ. The answer is 83.83.

← Problem 9Full ExamProblem 11

Problem 10 in Other Years