2025 AMC 12B Problem 22

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 22 of the 2025 AMC 12B, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2025 AMC 12B 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:complex numbertriangle areaoptimization

Difficulty rating: 2270

22.

What is the greatest possible area of the triangle in the complex plane with vertices 2z,2z, (1+i)z,(1+i)z, and (1i)z,(1-i)z, where zz is a complex number satisfying 4z2=1?|4z - 2| = 1?

14\dfrac{1}{4}

12\dfrac{1}{2}

916\dfrac{9}{16}

34\dfrac{3}{4}

11

Solution:

The vertices are z2,z \cdot 2, z(1+i),z(1+i), and z(1i),z(1-i), so the triangle is the fixed triangle with vertices 2,1+i,1i2, 1+i, 1-i — which has area 11 — scaled by z,|z|, giving area z2.|z|^2. The condition 4z2=1|4z - 2| = 1 is the circle z12=14,\left|z - \tfrac{1}{2}\right| = \tfrac{1}{4}, on which z|z| is at most 12+14=34.\tfrac{1}{2} + \tfrac{1}{4} = \tfrac{3}{4}. So the greatest area is (34)2=916.\left(\tfrac{3}{4}\right)^2 = \tfrac{9}{16}.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

Problem 22 in Other Years