Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 4.6 AIME Find the answer

A circle passes through the points (2,0)(2,0) and (4,0)(4,0) and is tangent to the line y=xy=x. Find the sum of all possible values for the yy-coordinate of the center of the circle.

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

Solution

First, we see that the x coordinate must be 3. Let the y coordinate be y. Now, we see that the radius is r=1+y2r=\sqrt{1+y^{2}}. The line from the center of the circle to the point of tangency with the line x=yx=y is perpendicular to the line x=yx=y. Hence, the distance from the center of the circle to the line x=yx=y is d=2(3y)d=\sqrt{2}(3-y). Letting r=dr=d we see that the two possible values for y are 1 and -7, which sum to -6.

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