2016 AIME I Problem 15

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 15 of the 2016 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2016 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:radical axispower of a pointangle chasingsimilarity

Difficulty rating: 3700

15.

Circles ω1\omega_1 and ω2\omega_2 intersect at points XX and Y.Y. Line \ell is tangent to ω1\omega_1 and ω2\omega_2 at AA and B,B, respectively, with line ABAB closer to point XX than to Y.Y. Circle ω\omega passes through AA and BB intersecting ω1\omega_1 again at DAD \ne A and intersecting ω2\omega_2 again at CB.C \ne B. The three points C,C, Y,Y, DD are collinear, XC=67,XC = 67, XY=47,XY = 47, and XD=37.XD = 37. Find AB2.AB^2.

Solution:

Line ADAD is the radical axis of ω\omega and ω1,\omega_1, line BCBC that of ω\omega and ω2,\omega_2, and line XYXY that of ω1\omega_1 and ω2,\omega_2, so the three lines meet at the radical center Z.Z. (They cannot be parallel: that would force a symmetric configuration with XC=XD.XC = XD.) Let M=XYAB.M = XY \cap AB. The power of MM with respect to each circle gives MA2=MXMY=MB2,MA^2 = MX \cdot MY = MB^2, so MM is the midpoint of AB,\overline{AB}, with XX between MM and Y.Y.

Since ADYXADYX is cyclic, XAZ=XYD,\angle XAZ = \angle XYD, and since BCYXBCYX is cyclic, XBZ=XYC;\angle XBZ = \angle XYC; as C,C, Y,Y, DD are collinear these add to 180,180^\circ, so ZAXBZAXB is cyclic. The tangent-chord angle at BB gives XYB=ABX=AZX,\angle XYB = \angle ABX = \angle AZX, so BYZA,BY \parallel ZA, and symmetrically AYZB.AY \parallel ZB. Hence AYBZAYBZ is a parallelogram, and since MM is the midpoint of diagonal AB,\overline{AB}, it is also the midpoint of ZY:\overline{ZY}: therefore XZ=XM+MZ=MX+MY.XZ = XM + MZ = MX + MY. Moreover XCZ=XYB=XZD\angle XCZ = \angle XYB = \angle XZD and (by the tangent-chord angle at AA) XZC=XAB=XYA=XDZ,\angle XZC = \angle XAB = \angle XYA = \angle XDZ, so triangles XZCXZC and XDZXDZ are similar, giving XZ2=XCXD.XZ^2 = XC \cdot XD.

Putting it together, AB2=4MA2=4MXMY=(MX+MY)2(MYMX)2=XZ2XY2=XCXDXY2,AB^2 = 4MA^2 = 4\,MX \cdot MY = (MX + MY)^2 - (MY - MX)^2 = XZ^2 - XY^2 = XC \cdot XD - XY^2, which equals 6737472=24792209=270.67 \cdot 37 - 47^2 = 2479 - 2209 = 270.

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