Problem:
Let be a triangle with and . Let be a point on such that is perpendicular to , and suppose that . The product of the lengths of the sides of the triangle can be expressed in the form , where are positive integers, and is minimized. Find .
Solution
Solution:
Extend to a point such that . Since , and . Let and . Then and . Moreover, and are similar triangles. Thus, we have
so .
Furthermore, by the Cosine Law on side of , we have
Plugging in and expanding, we have
and so . Hence and . Thus, .
It follows that the product of the lengths of the sides of the triangle is
so .
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