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Geometry Difficulty 3.3 AMC 10/12 Find the answer

A rectangular piece of paper PQRSP Q R S has PQ=20P Q=20 and QR=15Q R=15. The piece of paper is glued flat on the surface of a large cube so that QQ and SS are at vertices of the cube. What is the shortest distance from PP to RR, as measured through the cube?

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

Solution

Since PQRSP Q R S is rectangular, then SRQ=SPQ=90\angle S R Q=\angle S P Q=90^{\circ}. Also, SR=PQ=20S R=P Q=20 and SP=QR=15S P=Q R=15. By the Pythagorean Theorem in SPQ\triangle S P Q, since QS>0Q S>0, we have QS=SP2+PQ2=152+202=225+400=625=25Q S=\sqrt{S P^{2}+P Q^{2}}=\sqrt{15^{2}+20^{2}}=\sqrt{225+400}=\sqrt{625}=25. Draw perpendiculars from PP and RR to XX and YY, respectively, on SQS Q. Also, join RR to XX. We want to determine the length of RPR P. Now, since SPQ\triangle S P Q is right-angled at PP, then sin(PSQ)=PQSQ=2025=45\sin (\angle P S Q)=\frac{P Q}{S Q}=\frac{20}{25}=\frac{4}{5} and cos(PSQ)=SPSQ=1525=35\cos (\angle P S Q)=\frac{S P}{S Q}=\frac{15}{25}=\frac{3}{5}. Therefore, XP=PSsin(PSQ)=15(45)=12X P=P S \sin (\angle P S Q)=15\left(\frac{4}{5}\right)=12 and SX=PScos(PSQ)=15(35)=9S X=P S \cos (\angle P S Q)=15\left(\frac{3}{5}\right)=9. Since QRS\triangle Q R S is congruent to SPQ\triangle S P Q (three equal side lengths), then QY=SX=9Q Y=S X=9 and YR=XP=12Y R=X P=12. Since SQ=25S Q=25, then XY=SQSXQY=2599=7X Y=S Q-S X-Q Y=25-9-9=7. Consider RYX\triangle R Y X, which is right-angled at YY. By the Pythagorean Theorem, RX2=YR2+XY2=122+72=193R X^{2}=Y R^{2}+X Y^{2}=12^{2}+7^{2}=193. Next, consider PXR\triangle P X R. Since RXR X lies in the top face of the cube and PXP X is perpendicular to this face, then PXR\triangle P X R is right-angled at XX. By the Pythagorean Theorem, since PR>0P R>0, we have PR=PX2+RX2=122+193=144+193=33718.36P R=\sqrt{P X^{2}+R X^{2}}=\sqrt{12^{2}+193}=\sqrt{144+193}=\sqrt{337} \approx 18.36. Of the given answers, this is closest to 18.4.

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