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Geometry Difficulty 2.7 Junior Find the answer

The top section of an 8 cm by 6 cm rectangular sheet of paper is folded along a straight line so that when the top section lies flat on the bottom section, corner PP lies on top of corner RR. What is the length of the crease?

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

Solution

Suppose that the crease intersects PSPS at XX, QRQR at YY, and the line PRPR at ZZ. We want to determine the length of XYXY. Since PP folds on top of RR, then line segment PZPZ folds on top of line segment RZRZ, since after the fold ZZ corresponds with itself and PP corresponds with RR. This means that PZ=RZPZ=RZ and PRPR must be perpendicular to XYXY at point ZZ. Since PS=RQPS=RQ and SR=QPSR=QP, then right-angled triangles PSR\triangle PSR and RQP\triangle RQP are congruent (side-angle-side). Therefore, XPZ=YRZ\angle XPZ=\angle YRZ. Since PZ=RZPZ=RZ, then right-angled triangles PZX\triangle PZX and RZY\triangle RZY are congruent too (angle-side-angle). Thus, XZ=ZYXZ=ZY and so XY=2XZXY=2XZ. Since PSR\triangle PSR is right-angled at SS, then by the Pythagorean Theorem, PR=PS2+SR2=82+62=100=10PR=\sqrt{PS^{2}+SR^{2}}=\sqrt{8^{2}+6^{2}}=\sqrt{100}=10 since PR>0PR>0. Since PZ=RZPZ=RZ, then PZ=12PR=5PZ=\frac{1}{2}PR=5. Now PZX\triangle PZX is similar to PSR\triangle PSR (common angle at PP and right angle), so XZPZ=RSPS\frac{XZ}{PZ}=\frac{RS}{PS} or XZ=568=308=154XZ=\frac{5 \cdot 6}{8}=\frac{30}{8}=\frac{15}{4}. Therefore, XY=2XZ=152XY=2XZ=\frac{15}{2}, so the length of the fold is 152\frac{15}{2} or 7.5.

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