2021 AMC 12A Spring Problem 17

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 17 of the 2021 AMC 12A Spring, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2021 AMC 12A Spring solutions, or check the answer key.

All of the real AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12, and AIME problems in our complete solution collection are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

Concepts:coordinate geometrytrapezoidsimilarity

Difficulty rating: 2080

17.

Trapezoid ABCDABCD has ABCD,AB \parallel CD, BC=CD=43,BC = CD = 43, and ADBD.AD \perp BD. Let OO be the intersection of the diagonals ACAC and BD,BD, and let PP be the midpoint of BD.BD. Given that OP=11,OP = 11, the length ADAD can be written in the form mn,m\sqrt n, where mm and nn are positive integers and nn is not divisible by the square of any prime. What is m+n?m + n?

6565

132132

157157

194194

215215

Solution:

Place D=(0,0)D = (0,0) with B=(b,0)B = (b, 0) on one axis and A=(0,a)A = (0, a) on the other, so that ADBD.AD \perp BD. Since CDAB,CD \parallel AB, write C=t(b,a)C = t(b, -a) for some t.t. Then CD=ta2+b2CD = t\sqrt{a^2+b^2} and BC2=b2(1t)2+t2a2.BC^2 = b^2(1-t)^2 + t^2a^2. Setting BC=CDBC = CD gives t2=(1t)2,t^2 = (1-t)^2, so t=12.t = \tfrac12.

Thus C=(b2,a2),C = \left(\tfrac{b}{2}, -\tfrac{a}{2}\right), and CD=43CD = 43 gives a2+b2=4432=7396.a^2 + b^2 = 4\cdot 43^2 = 7396. The diagonal ACAC meets BDBD (the xx-axis) at O=(b3,0),O = \left(\tfrac{b}{3}, 0\right), while P=(b2,0).P = \left(\tfrac{b}{2}, 0\right). Hence OP=b6=11,OP = \tfrac{b}{6} = 11, so b=66.b = 66.

Then a2=7396662=3040,a^2 = 7396 - 66^2 = 3040, so AD=a=3040=4190.AD = a = \sqrt{3040} = 4\sqrt{190}. With m=4m = 4 and n=190,n = 190, we get m+n=194.m + n = 194.

Thus, the correct answer is D.

Problem 17 in Other Years