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CEMC Fermat, 2013

Geometry Difficulty 4.7 AIME Find the answer Canada

Isosceles triangle PQRPQR has PQ=PRPQ=PR and QR=300QR=300.

Figure 0

Point SS is on PQPQ and TT is on PRPR so that STST is perpendicular to PRPR, ST=120ST=120, TR=271TR=271, and QS=221QS=221. The area of quadrilateral STRQSTRQ is

Pick one

Solution

We calculate the area of quadrilateral STRQSTRQ by subtracting the area of △PTS\triangle PTS from the area of △PQR\triangle PQR.

Let PT=xPT=x.

Then PR=PT+TR=x+271PR=PT+TR=x+271.

Since PQ=PR=x+271PQ=PR=x+271 and SQ=221SQ=221, then PS=PQ−SQ=(x+271)−221=x+50PS = PQ - SQ = (x+271)-221=x+50.

Figure 1

By the Pythagorean Theorem in △PTS\triangle PTS, we have PT2+TS2amp;=PS2x2+1202amp;=(x+50)2x2+14400amp;=x2+100x+250011900amp;=100xxamp;=119\begin{aligned} PT^2 + TS^2 & = PS^2 \\ x^2 + 120^2 & = (x+50)^2\\ x^2 + 14400 & = x^2 + 100x + 2500 \\ 11900 & = 100x \\ x & = 119\end{aligned} Therefore, △PTS\triangle PTS has PT=x=119PT = x = 119, TS=120TS=120, and PS=x+50=169PS = x+50=169.

Since △PTS\triangle PTS is right-angled at TT, then its area is 12(PT)(TS)=12(119)(120)=7140\frac{1}{2}(PT)(TS) = \frac{1}{2}(119)(120) = 7140.

Furthermore, in △PQR\triangle PQR, we have PR=PQ=x+271=390PR = PQ = x+271 = 390.

Now, △PQR\triangle PQR is isosceles, so when we draw a median PXPX from PP to the midpoint XX of QRQR, it is perpendicular to QRQR.

Figure 2

Since XX is the midpoint of QRQR and QR=300QR = 300, then QX=12QR=150QX = \frac{1}{2}QR=150.

We can use the Pythagorean Theorem in △PXQ\triangle PXQ to conclude that PX=PQ2−QX2=3902−1502=21600=360PX = \sqrt{PQ^2-QX^2} = \sqrt{390^2-150^2} = \sqrt{21600} = 360 since PX gt;0\text{PX gt;0}.

Since PXPX is a height in △PQR\triangle PQR, then the area of △PQR\triangle PQR is 12(QR)(PX)=12(300)(360)=54 000\frac{1}{2}(QR)(PX)=\frac{1}{2}(300)(360) = 54\,000.

Finally, the area of STRQSTRQ is the difference in the areas of these two triangles, or 54 000−714054\,000-7140, which equals 46 86046\,860.

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Source: CEMC, University of Waterloo, licensed CC-BY-NC-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.