Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 4.7 AIME Find the answer

Two sides of a regular nn-gon are extended to meet at a 2828^{\circ} angle. What is the smallest possible value for nn?

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

Solution

We note that if we inscribe the nn-gon in a circle, then according to the inscribed angle theorem, the angle between two sides is 12\frac{1}{2} times some xyx-y, where xx and yy are integer multiples of the arc measure of one side of the nn-gon. Thus, the angle is equal to 12\frac{1}{2} times an integer multiple of 360n\frac{360}{n}, so 12k360n=28\frac{1}{2} \cdot k \cdot \frac{360}{n}=28 for some integer kk. Simplifying gives 7n=45k7 n=45 k, and since all kk are clearly attainable, the smallest possible value of nn is 45.

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