2016 AIME II Problem 5

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 5 of the 2016 AIME II, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2016 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:similaritygeometric sequencePythagorean Triple

Difficulty rating: 2560

5.

Triangle ABC0ABC_0 has a right angle at C0.C_0. Its side lengths are pairwise relatively prime positive integers, and its perimeter is p.p. Let C1C_1 be the foot of the altitude to AB,\overline{AB}, and for n2,n \ge 2, let CnC_n be the foot of the altitude to Cn2B\overline{C_{n-2}B} in Cn2Cn1B.\triangle C_{n-2}C_{n-1}B. The sum n=1Cn1Cn=6p.\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} C_{n-1}C_n = 6p. Find p.p.

Solution:

Let a=BC0,a = BC_0, b=AC0,b = AC_0, and c=AB.c = AB. The altitude gives C0C1=abc,C_0C_1 = \frac{ab}{c}, and C0C1BAC0B\triangle C_0C_1B \sim \triangle AC_0B with ratio ac.\frac{a}{c}. Each later altitude repeats this construction in a triangle scaled by ac,\frac{a}{c}, so the segments Cn1CnC_{n-1}C_n form a geometric series and n=1Cn1Cn=ab/c1a/c=abca=6p=6(a+b+c).\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} C_{n-1}C_n = \frac{ab/c}{1 - a/c} = \frac{ab}{c - a} = 6p = 6(a + b + c).

Since b2=c2a2=(ca)(c+a),b^2 = c^2 - a^2 = (c - a)(c + a), we get (ca)(a+b+c)=(ca)(c+a)+(ca)b=b(b+ca),(c - a)(a + b + c) = (c - a)(c + a) + (c - a)b = b(b + c - a), so ab=6b(b+ca),ab = 6b(b + c - a), that is 7a=6b+6c.7a = 6b + 6c. Squaring 6c=7a6b6c = 7a - 6b and using 36c2=36a2+36b236c^2 = 36a^2 + 36b^2 gives 36a2=49a284ab,36a^2 = 49a^2 - 84ab, hence 13a=84b.13a = 84b.

Because the side lengths are pairwise relatively prime, a=84a = 84 and b=13,b = 13, so c=7846136=85,c = \frac{7 \cdot 84 - 6 \cdot 13}{6} = 85, and indeed 132+842=852.13^2 + 84^2 = 85^2. Then p=84+13+85=182p = 84 + 13 + 85 = 182 (and abca=84131=1092=6p\frac{ab}{c - a} = \frac{84 \cdot 13}{1} = 1092 = 6p checks).

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