2019 AMC 12A Problem 19

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 19 of the 2019 AMC 12A, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2019 AMC 12A solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:law of sinesratio and proportiontriangle inequality

Difficulty rating: 2000

19.

In ABC\triangle ABC with integer side lengths,

cosA=1116,cosB=78,cosC=14. \cos A = \dfrac{11}{16}, \quad \cos B = \dfrac{7}{8}, \quad \cos C = -\dfrac{1}{4}.

What is the least possible perimeter for ABC?\triangle ABC?

99

1212

2323

2727

4444

Solution:

Each sine is 1cos2:\sqrt{1 - \cos^2}: sinA=31516,\sin A = \dfrac{3\sqrt{15}}{16}, sinB=21516,\sin B = \dfrac{2\sqrt{15}}{16}, sinC=41516.\sin C = \dfrac{4\sqrt{15}}{16}.

By the Law of Sines the sides are in ratio 3:2:4.3 : 2 : 4. The smallest integer sides are 3,2,4,3, 2, 4, which satisfy the triangle inequality.

The least perimeter is 3+2+4=9.3 + 2 + 4 = 9.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

Problem 19 in Other Years