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Geometry Difficulty 4.9 AIME Find the answer

Let ABCA B C be a triangle with AB=5,AC=4,BC=6A B=5, A C=4, B C=6. The angle bisector of CC intersects side ABA B at XX. Points MM and NN are drawn on sides BCB C and ACA C, respectively, such that XMAC\overline{X M} \| \overline{A C} and XNBC\overline{X N} \| \overline{B C}. Compute the length MNM N.

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

By Stewart's Theorem on the angle bisector, CX2=ACBC(1ABAC+BC2)C X^{2}=A C \cdot B C\left(1-\frac{A B}{A C+B C}^{2}\right) Thus, CX2=46(15102)=18C X^{2}=4 \cdot 6\left(1-\frac{5}{10}^{2}\right)=18 Since XMAC\overline{X M} \| \overline{A C} and XNBC\overline{X N} \| \overline{B C}, we produce equal angles. So, by similar triangles, XM=XN=4610=125X M=X N=\frac{4 \cdot 6}{10}=\frac{12}{5}. Moreover, triangles MCXM C X and NCXN C X are congruent isosceles triangles with vertices MM and NN, respectively. Since CXC X is an angle bisector, then CXC X and MNM N are perpendicular bisectors of each other. Therefore, MN2=4(XN2(CX/2)2)=4(125)218=12625M N^{2}=4\left(X N^{2}-(C X / 2)^{2}\right)=4 \cdot\left(\frac{12}{5}\right)^{2}-18=\frac{126}{25} and MN=3145M N=\frac{3 \sqrt{14}}{5}

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