A convex polyhedron has faces that are all congruent triangles with angles , and . Determine, with proof, the maximum possible value of .
Solution
Answer: 36 Solution: Consider such a polyhedron with vertices, edges, and faces. By Euler's formula we have . Next, note that the number of pairs of incident faces and edges is both and , so . Now, since our polyhedron is convex, the sum of the degree measures at each vertex is strictly less than . As all angle measures of the faces of our polyhedron are divisible by 36, the maximum degree measure at a given vertex is . On the other hand, the total degree measure at all vertices is the total degree measure over all faces, which is . Thus we have , or . Putting our three conditions together, we have Thus . is attainable by taking a 9-gon antiprism with a 9-gon pyramid attached on the top and the bottom. Thus the answer is 36.
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