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Problem 414

Geometry Difficulty 2.6 Find the answer CEMC Gauss (Grade 8) · Canada · 2020

Three different views of the same cube are shown.

The symbol on the face opposite is

(A) (B) (C) [[IMAGE2]] (D) [[IMAGE3]] (E) [[IMAGE4]]

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

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Official solutions — 2

Solution 1

We begin by recognizing that there are 6 different symbols, and so each face of the cube contains a different symbol.

From left to right, let us number the views of the cube 1, 2 and 3.

Views 1 and 2 each show a face containing the symbol [[IMAGE0]] .

What symbol is on the face opposite to the face containing [[IMAGE1]]  ?

In view 1, [[IMAGE2]] and [[IMAGE3]] are on faces adjacent to the face containing [[IMAGE4]] , and so neither of these can be the symbol that is on the face opposite [[IMAGE5]] .

In view 2, [[IMAGE6]] and [[IMAGE7]] are on faces adjacent to the face containing [[IMAGE8]] , and so neither of these can be the symbol that is on the face opposite [[IMAGE9]] .

There is only one symbol remaining, and so [[IMAGE10]] must be the symbol that is on the face opposite [[IMAGE11]] , and vice versa.
A net of the cube is shown below.

Solution 2

Isosceles triangles have two equal angles, and so the possibilities for these two triangles are:

1) The two equal angles are each equal to 70°70\degree, or

2) The two equal angles are each not equal to 70°70\degree.

(We note that a triangle can not have three angles measuring 70°70\degree since the sum of the three angles would be 3×70°=210°3\times70\degree=210\degree, which is greater than 180°180\degree.)

If the two equal angles are each equal to 70°70\degree, then the measure of the third angle is 180°2×70°=180°140°=40°180\degree-2\times70\degree=180\degree-140\degree=40\degree.

If the two equal angles are each not equal to 70°70\degree, then the sum of the measures of the two equal angles is 180°70°=110°180\degree-70\degree=110\degree, and so the measure of each of the equal angles is half of 110°110\degree or 55°55\degree.

We note that in the first triangle, the measure of each of the two remaining angles (70°70\degree and 40°40\degree) is even, and in the second triangle, the measure of each of the two remaining angles (55°55\degree and 55°55\degree) is odd.

In the first triangle, the sum of the two equal angles is S=70°+70°=140°S=70\degree+70\degree=140\degree.

In the second triangle, the sum of the two equal angles is T=55°+55°=110°T=55\degree+55\degree=110\degree.
The value of S+TS+T is 140°+110°=250°140\degree+110\degree=250\degree.

Source: CEMC, University of Waterloo, licensed CC-BY-NC-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty, ordering) added by this project.