2024 AMC 12B Problem 22

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 22 of the 2024 AMC 12B, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2024 AMC 12B solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:law of sinesDiophantine Equationtriangle inequality

Difficulty rating: 2230

22.

Let ABC\triangle ABC be a triangle with integer side lengths and the property that B=2A.\angle B = 2\angle A. What is the least possible perimeter of such a triangle?

1313

1414

1515

1616

1717

Solution:

When B=2A,\angle B = 2\angle A, the side lengths satisfy b2=a(a+c),b^2 = a(a + c), where a=BC,a = BC, b=CA,b = CA, c=AB.c = AB. So c=b2a2ac = \dfrac{b^2 - a^2}{a} must be a positive integer, and the sides must form a valid triangle.

Trying small values, a=4,a = 4, b=6b = 6 gives c=36164=5,c = \dfrac{36 - 16}{4} = 5, and the sides 4,5,64, 5, 6 form a valid triangle with 62=4(4+5).6^2 = 4(4 + 5). Its perimeter is 15,15, and a search shows no smaller perimeter works.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

Problem 22 in Other Years