A rectangular box has width 12 inches, length 16 inches, and height nm inches, where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Three faces of the box meet at a corner of the box. The center points of those three faces are the vertices of a triangle with an area of 30 square inches. Find m+n.
解析
Solution 1
Let the height of the box be x.
After using the Pythagorean Theorem three times, we can quickly see that the sides of the triangle are 10, (2x)2+64, and (2x)2+36. Since the area of the triangle is 30, the altitude of the triangle from the base with length 10 is 6.
Considering the two triangles created by the altitude, we use the Pythagorean theorem twice to find the lengths of the two line segments that make up the base of 10.
We find:
10=(28+x2/4)+x/2
Solving for x gives us x=536. Since this fraction is simplified:
m+n=041
Small Note
The 3D version of the Pythagorean theorem can also be applied here. ~MC
Solution 2 (Vectors)
We may use vectors. Let the height of the box be 2h. Without loss of generality, let the front bottom left corner of the box be (0,0,0). Let the center point of the bottom face be P1, the center of the left face be P2 and the center of the front face be P3.
We are given that the area of the triangle △P1P2P3 is 30. Thus, by a well known formula, we note that 21∣P1P2xP1P3∣=30 We quickly attain that P1P2=<−6,0,h> and P1P3=<0,−8,h> (We can arbitrarily assign the long and short ends due to symmetry)
After using the Pythagorean Theorem three times, we can quickly see that the sides of the triangle are 10, (x/2)2+64, and (x/2)2+36. Therefore, we can use Heron's formula to set up an equation for the area of the triangle.
The semiperimeter is (10+(x/2)2+64+(x/2)2+36)/2. Therefore, when we square Heron's formula, we find
900=21((10+(x/2)2+64+(x/2)2+36)/2)×((10+(x/2)2+64+(x/2)2+36)/2−10)×((10+(x/2)2+64+(x/2)2+36)/2−(x/2)2+64)×((10+(x/2)2+64+(x/2)2+36)/2−(x/2)2+36).
Solving, we get 041.
Solution 4
It isn't hard to see that the triangle connecting the centers of the faces of the rectangular prism is congruent to the triangle connecting the midpoints of three edges that concur. So we can now apply de Gua's theorem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Gua%27s_theorem) to see that:
302=242+(3x)2+(4x)2
Where x is half the desired length of the height.
Solving yields 2x=536
And thus 36+5=041
---Solution 4 contributed by Siddharth Namachivayam
Solution 5 (PyTRIGorean)
Let half the height be a (we want to find 2a), then we see that the three sides of the triangle are (by Pyth Theorem) 10,a2+36,a2+64. Using the Law of Sines with the angle as the one included between the square roots, we see that this angle's cosine is (a2+36)(a2+64)a2 by the Law of Cosines, meaning that its sine is (a2+36)(a2+64)100a2+2304. Finally, multiply the two square-rooted sides by this sine and one-half, and equate to 30.
You get 25a2+576=30, giving a=518, so our answer is 041
Solution 6 (Heron's Formula Application)
Let x be 21 the height of the box. We will solve for x and then multiply by 2 at the end. The three side lengths of the triangle, by the Pythagorean Theorem, are x2+62,x2+82, and 10.
Heron's formula states that the area of the triangle is s(s−a)(s−b)(s−c) where s is the semiperimeter. Applying difference of squares to make the formula less computational, we get 4(a+b+c)(a+b−c)(a−b+c)(−a+b+c)=4(a2+b2+2ab−c2)(c2−b2−a2+2ab)=44a2b2−(a2+b2−c2)2.
Now, we plug in x2+62 for a, x2+82 for b, and 10 for c. This gives us
44(x2+62)(x2+82)−(x2+62+x2+82−102)2=304x4+400x2+4⋅482−4x4=120400x2+4⋅482=120225x2+242=30225x2=62(52−42)25x2=1825x=18x=518
Now multiplying by 2, we get that the height is 536, and m+n=36+5=041
Solution 7 (Pyramids)
Let the rectangular prism be ABCDEFGH with AB=12, AC=16, and AD=α edges of the cube. It is easy to notice that the triangle given by the problem is similar to the triangle BCD by a ratio of 1:2. Thus [BCD]=120.
We know that the volume of the triangular pyramid defined by A,B,C,D is equal to 31⋅12⋅16⋅α⋅21=32α, and we can find the volume by using the triangle BCD as the base. Letting h be the distance from A to △BCD, we find that the volume is 31⋅h⋅120=40h. Thus h=54α, and all that remains is to find an equation for h.
Let A be the origin of a three-dimensional plane, and let the line segments AB,AC,AD lie on the x,y,z axes respectively. We know that the equation of the plane in which △BCD lies can be represented by the equation ax+by+cz=d, where a,b,c,d are real values, and we know that B(12,0,0),C(0,16,0),D(0,0,α) lie on △BCD which in turn lies on this plane. Thus the three points are solutions to the equation. Plugging in the values yields d=12a=16b=αc, and inserting these values for a,b,c in terms of d and simplifying yields 121x+161y+α1z=1. This is the equation of the plane.
By the formula, the value of h (or the distance between A and △BCD) is equivalent to 1221+1621+α211. Plugging this value in, we find that:
54α=1221+1621+α2111221+1621+α21=4α5122⋅162122+162+α21=16α2251922202=16α2919220=4α3α=43⋅20192=536
Thus the answer is 36+5=041.
~eevee9406
Solution 8 (Similar to Solution 5)
Again, consider the total height as 2x, which leads to the side lengths of the triangle being 10, x2+64, and x2+36. Consider the angle θ between the two sides of x2+36 and 10.
Since the area of a triangle is 21absinc, we can find that 21(10)x2+36sinθ=30. By cosine law, x2+64=x2+36+100−2(10)x2+36cosθ, which simplifies to 20x2+36cosθ=72.
Divide the first equation by the second to get cosθsinθ=35, and solve to find sinθ=345. Substitute this back into the first equation to get the following: