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Algebra Difficulty 4.9 AIME Find the answer

Consider a regular nn-gon with radius rr. Let xx be the side length of the nn-gon. So, since the central angle is 2πn\frac{2 \pi}{n} (see diagram below), use the Law of Cosines to find that x2=r2+r22rrcos2πnx^{2}=r^{2}+r^{2}-2 r * r \cos \frac{2 \pi}{n}, so x2=2r2(1cos2πn)x^{2}=2 r^{2}\left(1-\cos \frac{2 \pi}{n}\right). Thus, x=r21cos2πnx=r \sqrt{2} \sqrt{1-\cos \frac{2 \pi}{n}}. So, the total perimeter of the nn-gon is nx=nr21cos2πnn x=n r \sqrt{2} \sqrt{1-\cos \frac{2 \pi}{n}}. Now, if we take \lim _{n \rightarrow \infty}oftheperimeter,theresultwillbe of the perimeter, the result will be 2 \pi n,sincethe, since the ngonapproachesacirle,so-gon approaches a cirle, so \lim _{n \rightarrow \infty} n r \sqrt{2} \sqrt{1-\cos \frac{2 \pi}{n}}=2 \pi r,andso, and so \lim _{n \rightarrow \infty} \boldsymbol{n} \boldsymbol{r} \sqrt{\mathbf{1 - \operatorname { c o s } \frac { 2 \pi } { n }}}=\pi r \sqrt{2}$.

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Solution

The limit of the perimeter as nn \rightarrow \infty is πr2\pi r \sqrt{2}.

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