2014 AIME II Problem 12

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Concepts:trigonometric identityfactoringlaw of cosines

Difficulty rating: 2990

12.

Suppose that the angles of ABC\triangle ABC satisfy cos(3A)+cos(3B)+cos(3C)=1.\cos(3A) + \cos(3B) + \cos(3C) = 1. Two sides of the triangle have lengths 1010 and 13.13. There is a positive integer mm so that the maximum possible length for the remaining side of ABC\triangle ABC is m.\sqrt{m}. Find m.m.

Solution:

Using 1cos3A=2sin23A21 - \cos 3A = 2\sin^2\frac{3A}{2} and cos3B+cos3C=2cos3(B+C)2cos3(BC)2,\cos 3B + \cos 3C = 2\cos\frac{3(B+C)}{2}\cos\frac{3(B-C)}{2}, together with 3(B+C)2=2703A2\frac{3(B+C)}{2} = 270^\circ - \frac{3A}{2} so that cos3(B+C)2=sin3A2,\cos\frac{3(B+C)}{2} = -\sin\frac{3A}{2}, the condition becomes 0=2sin3A2(sin3A2+cos3(BC)2)=2sin3A2(cos3(BC)2cos3(B+C)2)=4sin3A2sin3B2sin3C2.0 = 2\sin\tfrac{3A}{2}\left(\sin\tfrac{3A}{2} + \cos\tfrac{3(B-C)}{2}\right) = 2\sin\tfrac{3A}{2}\left(\cos\tfrac{3(B-C)}{2} - \cos\tfrac{3(B+C)}{2}\right) = 4\sin\tfrac{3A}{2}\sin\tfrac{3B}{2}\sin\tfrac{3C}{2}.

For an angle XX of a triangle, 3X2\frac{3X}{2} lies strictly between 00^\circ and 270,270^\circ, so sin3X2=0\sin\frac{3X}{2} = 0 exactly when X=120.X = 120^\circ. Hence one angle of the triangle is 120.120^\circ.

The remaining side is longest when the 120120^\circ angle sits between the sides of lengths 1010 and 1313 (if 120120^\circ were opposite one of them, the remaining side would be shorter than that side). By the law of cosines its length is 102+132+1013=399,\sqrt{10^2 + 13^2 + 10 \cdot 13} = \sqrt{399}, so m=399.m = 399.

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