Triangle ABC has side lengths AB=12, BC=25, and CA=17. Rectangle PQRS has vertex P on AB, vertex Q on AC, and vertices R and S on BC. In terms of the side length PQ=ω, the area of PQRS can be expressed as the quadratic polynomial
Area(PQRS)=αω−βω2.
Then the coefficient β=nm, where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.
解析
Solution 1
If ω=25, the area of rectangle PQRS is 0, so
αω−βω2=25α−625β=0
and α=25β. If ω=225, we can reflect APQ over PQ, PBS over PS, and QCR over QR to completely cover rectangle PQRS, so the area of PQRS is half the area of the triangle. Using Heron's formula, since s=212+17+25=27,
[ABC]=27⋅15⋅10⋅2=90
so
45=αω−βω2=2625β−β4625=β4625
and
β=625180=12536
so the answer is m+n=36+125=161.
Solution 2
Similar triangles can also solve the problem.
First, solve for the area of the triangle. [ABC]=90. This can be done by Heron's Formula or placing an 8−15−17 right triangle on AC and solving. (The 8 side would be collinear with line AB)
After finding the area, solve for the altitude to BC. Let E be the intersection of the altitude from A and side BC. Then AE=536. Solving for BE using the Pythagorean Formula, we get BE=548. We then know that CE=577.
Now consider the rectangle PQRS. Since SR is collinear with BC and parallel to PQ, PQ is parallel to BC meaning ΔAPQ is similar to ΔABC.
Let F be the intersection between AE and PQ. By the similar triangles, we know that FQPF=ECBE=7748. Since PF+FQ=PQ=ω. We can solve for PF and FQ in terms of ω. We get that PF=12548ω and FQ=12577ω.
Let's work with PF. We know that PQ is parallel to BC so ΔAPF is similar to ΔABE. We can set up the proportion:
PFAF=BEAE=43. Solving for AF, AF=43PF=43⋅12548ω=12536ω.
We can solve for PS then since we know that PS=FE and FE=AE−AF=536−12536ω.
Heron's Formula gives [ABC]=27⋅15⋅10⋅2=90, so the altitude from A to BC has length BC2[ABC]=536.
Now, draw a parallel to AB from Q, intersecting BC at T. Then BT=w in parallelogram QPBT, and so CT=25−w. Clearly, CQT and CAB are similar triangles, and so their altitudes have lengths proportional to their corresponding base sides, and so
536QR=2525−w.
Solving gives [PQRS]=536⋅2525−w⋅w=536w−12536w2, so the answer is 36+125=161.
Solution 4
Using the diagram from Solution 2 above, label AF to be h. Through Heron's formula, the area of △ABC turns out to be 90, so using AE as the height and BC as the base yields AE=536. Now, through the use of similarity between △APQ and △ABC, you find 25w=36/5h. Thus, h=12536w. To find the height of the rectangle, subtract h from 536 to get (536−12536w), and multiply this by the other given side w to get 536w−12536w2 for the area of the rectangle. Finally, 36+125=161.
Solution 5
Using the diagram as shown in Solution 2, let AE=h and AP=L Now, by Heron's formula, we find that the [ABC]=90. Hence, h=536
Now, we see that sinB=12−LPS⟹PS=sinB(12−L) We easily find that sinB=53
Hence, PS=53(12−L)
Now, we see that [PQRS]=53(12−L)(w)
Now, it is obvious that we want to find L in terms of W.
Looking at the diagram, we see that because PQRS is a rectangle, △APQ∼△ABC
Hence.. we can now set up similar triangles.
We have that ABAP=BCPQ⟹12L=25W⟹25L=12W⟹L=2512W.
Proceed as in solution 1. When ω is equal to zero, α−βω=α is equal to the altitude. This means that 25β is equal to 536, so β=12536, yielding 161.
Solution 7(Quick and Easy)
Using the diagram in Solution 2, the area of PQRS is (w)(PR), we only need to find PR. Because ABC and APQ are similar in a ratio of 25:w. Because of AB:AC=12:15 and AP:AB= w:25, we can derive that BP=25(25−w)(12). By using LoC on ABC, it is obvious that cos(B)=54 and sin(B)=53.PR=53bp=125(25−w)(36). Multiply w, we get 536W−12536W2 which means the answer is 161
fixed latex errors, ~eqb5000
Solution 7 (fake solve)
We are given that the area of rectangle PQRS is a quadratic polynomial in terms of its width ω=PQ. Let h be the height of the rectangle (the length of PS and QR). The area is given by Area(ω)=ωh.
Step 1: Identify the roots of the quadratic
A quadratic is uniquely determined by three points. We can identify two "degenerate" cases where the area of the rectangle is zero:
If ω=0, the rectangle collapses into a vertical line segment (the altitude), so Area(0)=0.
If ω=25 (the length of base BC), the rectangle collapses into the segment BC itself, meaning its height h=0, so Area(25)=0.
Since the roots are 0 and 25, the area polynomial must be of the form:
Area(ω)=kω(ω−25)=kω2−25kω
Comparing this to the given form Area(ω)=αω−βω2, we see that β=−k.
Step 2: Find the altitude of triangle ABC
To find the constant k, we need one more non-zero point. First, we calculate the area of △ABC using Heron's Formula. The semi-perimeter is s=212+25+17=27.
Let H be the altitude from A to BC. Using Area=21bh:
90=21(25)(H)⟹H=25180=536
Step 3: Use similar triangles for a test point
Consider the case where ω=225 (the width is half the base). By similar triangles (△APQ∼△ABC), the height of the small triangle above the rectangle must be half of the total altitude H. Thus, the height of the rectangle h is also half the total altitude:
h=21H=518
Our test point is (ω,Area)=(225,225⋅518)=(225,45).