Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /51 of 100

Geometry Difficulty 4.8 AIME Find the answer China

Given ABC\triangle ABC and AEF\triangle AEF such that BB is the midpoint of EFEF. Also, AB=EF=1AB = EF = 1, BC=6BC = 6, CA=33CA = \sqrt{33}, and ABAE+ACAF=2\overrightarrow{AB} \cdot \overrightarrow{AE} + \overrightarrow{AC} \cdot \overrightarrow{AF} = 2. The cosine of the angle between EF\overrightarrow{EF} and BC\overrightarrow{BC} is ______.

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

We have
2=ABAE+ACAF=AB(AB+BE)+AC(AB+BF), \begin{aligned} 2 &= \overrightarrow{AB} \cdot \overrightarrow{AE} + \overrightarrow{AC} \cdot \overrightarrow{AF} \\ &= \overrightarrow{AB} \cdot (\overrightarrow{AB} + \overrightarrow{BE}) + \overrightarrow{AC} \cdot (\overrightarrow{AB} + \overrightarrow{BF}), \end{aligned}
i.e.
AB2+ABBE+ACAB+ACBF=2. \overrightarrow{AB}^2 + \overrightarrow{AB} \cdot \overrightarrow{BE} + \overrightarrow{AC} \cdot \overrightarrow{AB} + \overrightarrow{AC} \cdot \overrightarrow{BF} = 2.
As AB2=1\overrightarrow{AB}^2 = 1,
ACAB=33×1×33+1362×33×1=1 \overrightarrow{AC} \cdot \overrightarrow{AB} = \sqrt{33} \times 1 \times \frac{33+1-36}{2 \times \sqrt{33} \times 1} = -1
and BE=BF\overrightarrow{BE} = -\overrightarrow{BF}, we get
1+BF(ACAB)1=2, 1 + \overrightarrow{BF} \cdot (\overrightarrow{AC} - \overrightarrow{AB}) - 1 = 2,
i.e. BFBC=2\overrightarrow{BF} \cdot \overrightarrow{BC} = 2. Defining θ\theta as the angle between EF\overrightarrow{EF} and BC\overrightarrow{BC}, we get BFBCcosθ=2|\overrightarrow{BF}| \cdot |\overrightarrow{BC}| \cdot \cos \theta = 2 or 3cosθ=23\cos \theta = 2. So cosθ=23\cos \theta = \frac{2}{3}.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.