Problem:
Estimate , the number of unordered triples of integers so that there exists a nondegenerate triangle with side lengths , , and fitting inside a square. An estimate of earns points.
Problem:
Estimate , the number of unordered triples of integers so that there exists a nondegenerate triangle with side lengths , , and fitting inside a square. An estimate of earns points.
Solution:
Let's first count the number of such triangles with perimeter equal to . By Stars and Bars, there are ordered triples of positive integers that sum to . Additionally, note that only about a quarter of them satisfy the triangle inequality, we have only possible triples. Dividing by gives us approximately nondegenerate triangles with perimeter . Summing this from to gives us approximately triangles with perimeter at most .
Now, note that there are two "extremes" for our triangles. One extreme is a triangle that is very close to a line. In that case, we have that the maximum perimeter is . In the other extreme, we have a triangle that is very close to an equilateral triangle, in which case we have the maximum perimeter is . Thus, as a compromise between these extremes, we can plug in to get a value of , which would have earned 13 points.