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Geometry Difficulty 2.9 Junior Find the answer

Point PP is on the yy-axis with yy-coordinate greater than 0 and less than 100. A circle is drawn through P,Q(4,4)P, Q(4,4) and O(0,0)O(0,0). How many possible positions for PP are there so that the radius of this circle is an integer?

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

Solution

Suppose that PP has coordinates P(0,2a)P(0,2a) for some real number aa. Since PP has yy-coordinate greater than 0 and less than 100, then 0<2a<1000 < 2a < 100 or 0<a<500 < a < 50. We determine an expression for the radius of the circle in terms of aa and then determine how many values of aa give an integer radius. We determine the desired expression by first finding the coordinates of the centre, CC, of the circle in terms of aa, and then calculating the distance from CC to one of the points O,P,QO, P, Q. If a circle passes through the three vertices O,PO, P and QQ of a triangle, then its centre is the point of intersection of the perpendicular bisectors of the sides OP,OQOP, OQ, and PQPQ of the triangle. We determine the centre of the circle by finding the point of intersection of the perpendicular bisectors of OPOP and OQOQ. (We could use PQPQ instead, but this would be more complicated algebraically.) Since OO has coordinates (0,0)(0,0) and PP has coordinates (0,2a)(0,2a), then OPOP is vertical so its perpendicular bisector is horizontal. The midpoint of OPOP is (12(0+0),12(0+2a))=(0,a)(\frac{1}{2}(0+0), \frac{1}{2}(0+2a)) = (0, a). Therefore, the perpendicular bisector of OPOP is the horizontal line through (0,a)(0, a), and so has equation y=ay = a. Since OO has coordinates (0,0)(0,0) and QQ has coordinates (4,4)(4,4), then OQOQ has slope 4040=1\frac{4-0}{4-0} = 1. Therefore, a line perpendicular to OQOQ has slope -1. The midpoint of OQOQ is (12(0+4),12(0+4))=(2,2)(\frac{1}{2}(0+4), \frac{1}{2}(0+4)) = (2,2). Therefore, the perpendicular bisector of OQOQ has slope -1 and passes through (2,2)(2,2), so has equation y2=(1)(x2)y - 2 = (-1)(x - 2) or y=x+4y = -x + 4. The centre of the desired circle is thus the point of intersection of the lines with equations y=ay = a and y=x+4y = -x + 4. The yy-coordinate of this point is aa and the xx-coordinate is obtained by solving a=x+4a = -x + 4 and obtaining x=4ax = 4 - a. Therefore, the coordinates of CC are (4a,a)(4 - a, a). The radius, rr, of the circle is the distance from CC to any of the three points O,PO, P and QQ. It is easiest to find the distance from OO to CC, which is r=(4a)2+a2=a28a+16+a2=2a28a+16r = \sqrt{(4-a)^{2} + a^{2}} = \sqrt{a^{2} - 8a + 16 + a^{2}} = \sqrt{2a^{2} - 8a + 16}. We rewrite this as r=2(a24a+8)=2(a24a+4+4)=2((a2)2+4)=2(a2)2+8r = \sqrt{2(a^{2} - 4a + 8)} = \sqrt{2(a^{2} - 4a + 4 + 4)} = \sqrt{2((a-2)^{2} + 4)} = \sqrt{2(a-2)^{2} + 8}. Since (a2)20(a-2)^{2} \geq 0 and (a2)2=0(a-2)^{2} = 0 only when a=2a = 2, then the minimum value of 2(a2)2+82(a-2)^{2} + 8 is 8 and this occurs when a=2a = 2. Thus, r8r \geq \sqrt{8}. The expression 2(a2)2+8\sqrt{2(a-2)^{2} + 8} is decreasing from a=0a = 0 to a=2a = 2 and then increasing from a=2a = 2 to a=50a = 50. When a=0,r=2(a2)2+8=2(2)2+8=4a = 0, r = \sqrt{2(a-2)^{2} + 8} = \sqrt{2(-2)^{2} + 8} = 4. When a=2,r=2(a2)2+8=2(0)2+8=82.83a = 2, r = \sqrt{2(a-2)^{2} + 8} = \sqrt{2(0)^{2} + 8} = \sqrt{8} \approx 2.83. When a=50,r=2(a2)2+8=2(48)2+8=461667.94a = 50, r = \sqrt{2(a-2)^{2} + 8} = \sqrt{2(48)^{2} + 8} = \sqrt{4616} \approx 67.94. Therefore, when 0<a20 < a \leq 2, we have 8r<4\sqrt{8} \leq r < 4 and when 2a<502 \leq a < 50, we have 8r<4616\sqrt{8} \leq r < \sqrt{4616}. The expression r=2(a2)2+8r = \sqrt{2(a-2)^{2} + 8} will take every real number value in each of these ranges, because b=2(a2)2+8b = 2(a-2)^{2} + 8 represents the equation of a parabola which is a 'smooth' curve. Between 82.83\sqrt{8} \approx 2.83 and 4, there is one integer value (namely, 3) which is achieved by the expression. (We do not count 4 since it is an endpoint that is not included.) Between 82.83\sqrt{8} \approx 2.83 and 461667.94\sqrt{4616} \approx 67.94, there are 65 integer values (namely, 3 to 67, inclusive) which are achieved by the expression. In total, there are 1+65=661 + 65 = 66 integer values achieved by the expression in the allowable range for aa, so there are 66 positions of PP for which the radius is an integer.

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