2018 AIME I Problem 7

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Concepts:counting shapes in figures3D geometrycasework

Difficulty rating: 2840

7.

A right hexagonal prism has height 2.2. The bases are regular hexagons with side length 1.1. Any 33 of the 1212 vertices determine a triangle. Find the number of these triangles that are isosceles (including equilateral triangles).

Solution:

The chords of a unit regular hexagon have lengths 1,1, 3,\sqrt{3}, and 2.2. Among the (63)=20\binom{6}{3} = 20 triangles in one hexagon, 66 have sides 1,1,31, 1, \sqrt{3} and 22 are equilateral with side 3;\sqrt{3}; the other 12,12, with sides 1,3,2,1, \sqrt{3}, 2, are scalene. So each base contributes 88 isosceles triangles, for 1616 in all.

Otherwise two vertices lie on one base (22 choices of that base) and one on the other. A vertex of the top base at horizontal distance dd from a bottom vertex is at distance d2+42\sqrt{d^2 + 4} \ge 2 from it. If the bottom pair is adjacent (chord 11): the perpendicular bisector of a hexagon edge passes through no vertices, and no slant side can equal 1,1, so there are no isosceles triangles. If the pair has one vertex between them (chord 3,\sqrt{3}, 66 pairs): the top vertices above that middle vertex and above the opposite vertex are equidistant from the pair, giving 62=12.6 \cdot 2 = 12. If the pair is diametrically opposite (chord 2,2, 33 pairs): no vertex lies above the perpendicular bisector, but the top vertex directly above either endpoint gives a slant side 0+4=2\sqrt{0 + 4} = 2 equal to the chord, giving 32=6.3 \cdot 2 = 6.

The total is 16+2(12+6)=52.16 + 2\,(12 + 6) = 52.

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