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2000 AIME I Problems/Problem 14

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Problem

In triangle ABC, it is given that angles B and C are congruent. Points P and Q lie on \overline{AC} and \overline{AB}, respectively, so that AP = PQ = QB = BC. Angle ACB is r times as large as angle APQ, where r is a positive real number. Find the greatest integer that does not exceed 1000r.

Contents

Solution

Solution 1

defaultpen(fontsize(8)); size(200); pair A=20*dir(80)+20*dir(60)+20*dir(100), B=(0,0), C=20*dir(0), P=20*dir(80)+20*dir(60), ...

Let point R be in \triangle ABC such that QB = BR = RP. Then PQBR is a rhombus, so AB \parallel PR and APRB is an isosceles trapezoid. Since \overline{PB} bisects \angle QBR, it follows by symmetry in trapezoid APRB that \overline{RA} bisects \angle BAC. Thus R lies on the perpendicular bisector of \overline{BC}, and BC = BR = RC. Hence \triangle BCR is an equilateral triangle.

Now \angle ABR = \angle BAC = \angle ACR, and the sum of the angles in \triangle ABC is \angle ABR + 60^{\circ} + \angle BAC + \angle ACR + 60^{\circ} = 3\angle BAC + 120^{\circ} = 180^{\circ} \Longrightarrow \ang.... Then \angle APQ = 140^{\circ} and \angle ACB = 80^{\circ}, so the answer is \left\lfloor 1000 \cdot \frac{80}{140} \right\rfloor = \left\lfloor \frac{4000}{7} \right\rfloor = \boxed{571}.

Solution 2

defaultpen(fontsize(8)); size(200); pair A=20*dir(80)+20*dir(60)+20*dir(100), B=(0,0), C=20*dir(0), P=20*dir(80)+20*dir(60), ...

Again, construct R as above.

Let \angle BAC = \angle QBR = \angle QPR = 2x and \angle ABC = \angle ACB = y, which means x + y = 90. \triangle QBC is isosceles with QB = BC, so \angle BCQ = 90 - \frac {y}{2}. Let S be the intersection of QC and BP. Since \angle BCQ = \angle BQC = \angle BRS, BCRS is cyclic, which means \angle RBS = \angle RCS = x. Since APRB is an isosceles trapezoid, BP = AR, but since AR bisects \angle BAC, \angle ABR = \angle ACR = 2x.

Therefore we have that \angle ACB = \angle ACR + \angle RCS + \angle QCB = 2x + x + 90 - \frac {y}{2} = y. We solve the simultaneous equations x + y = 90 and 2x + x + 90 - \frac {y}{2} = y to get x = 10 and y = 80. \angle APQ = 180 - 4x = 140, \angle ACB = 80, so r = \frac {80}{140} = \frac {4}{7}. \left\lfloor 1000\left(\frac {4}{7}\right)\right\rfloor = \boxed{571}.

See also

2000 AIME I (ProblemsResources)
Preceded by
Problem 13
Followed by
Problem 15
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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