GeometryDifficulty 6.5National OlympiadFind the answer
Given a square ABCD whose side length is 1, P and Q are points on the sides AB and AD. If the perimeter of APQ is 2 find the angle PCQ.
A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.
Solution
Given a square ABCD with side length 1, points P and Q are on sides AB and AD respectively. We are to find the angle ∠PCQ given that the perimeter of △APQ is 2.
Let AP=x and AQ=y. Then, PB=1−x and QD=1−y. We need to find tan∠PCQ.
Since tan∠PCB=1−x and tan∠QCD=1−y, we have: tan∠PCQ=(1−x)+(1−y)1−(1−x)(1−y)=2−x−yx+y−xy.
Given the perimeter condition x+y+x2+y2=2, we can solve for x2+y2: x2+y2=2−(x+y).
Squaring both sides, we get: x2+y2=(2−(x+y))2=4−4(x+y)+(x+y)2.
Simplifying, we find: x2+y2=4−4(x+y)+x2+2xy+y2, 0=4−4(x+y)+2xy, 2(x+y)=2+2xy, x+y−xy=1.
Thus: tan∠PCQ=2−x−yx+y−xy=11=1, ∠PCQ=45∘.
The answer is: 45∘.
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