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Geometry Difficulty 3.7 AMC 10/12 Find the answer

Given a regular triangular pyramid PABCP-ABC (the base triangle is an equilateral triangle, and the vertex PP is the center of the base) with all vertices lying on the same sphere, and PAPA, PBPB, PCPC are mutually perpendicular. If the side length of the base equilateral triangle is 2\sqrt{2}, then the volume of this sphere is ( ).

A: 3π4\frac{{\sqrt{3}π}}{4}

B: 3π2\frac{{\sqrt{3}π}}{2}

C: 3π\sqrt{3}π

D: 23π2\sqrt{3}π

Multiple choice: answer with the letter of the option you want.

Solution

Given a regular triangular pyramid PABCP-ABC with a base side length of 2\sqrt{2}, and PAPA, PBPB, PCPC are mutually perpendicular, we are to find the volume of the sphere on which all vertices lie.

First, let's find the length of PAPA using the given information. Since the base is an equilateral triangle and PAPA, PBPB, and PCPC are mutually perpendicular, we can deduce that PAPA is a height in the equilateral triangle ABCABC. Thus, applying Pythagoras theorem in triangle PABPAB, we have:
PA2+PB2=AB2.PA^2 + PB^2 = AB^2.
Given that AB=2AB = \sqrt{2} and PA=PBPA = PB due to the symmetry of the pyramid, we can rewrite this as:
2PA2=(2)2.2PA^2 = (\sqrt{2})^2.
Solving for PAPA gives:
2PA2=2    PA2=1    PA=1.2PA^2 = 2 \implies PA^2 = 1 \implies PA = 1.

Next, we use the fact that the vertices of the pyramid lie on a sphere. The distance from PP to the center of the base, which lies on the sphere's surface, is equal to the radius RR of the sphere. Since PAPA, PBPB, and PCPC form a right-angled triangle with the sphere's diameter as the hypotenuse, we can relate the diameter (2R)(2R) to PAPA:
(2R)2=PA2+PB2+PC2.(2R)^2 = PA^2 + PB^2 + PC^2.
Given PA=PB=PC=1PA = PB = PC = 1, this simplifies to:
(2R)2=3×12    4R2=3    R2=34    R=32.(2R)^2 = 3 \times 1^2 \implies 4R^2 = 3 \implies R^2 = \frac{3}{4} \implies R = \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}.

Finally, we calculate the volume VV of the sphere using its radius RR:
V=4π3R3=4π3(32)3=4π3338=3π2.V = \frac{4\pi}{3}R^3 = \frac{4\pi}{3} \left(\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\right)^3 = \frac{4\pi}{3} \cdot \frac{3\sqrt{3}}{8} = \frac{\sqrt{3}\pi}{2}.

Therefore, the volume of the sphere is 3π2\boxed{\frac{\sqrt{3}\pi}{2}}, which corresponds to option B.

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.