Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament

February 19, 2005

Individual Round: Geometry Subject Test — Solutions

1. The volume of a cube (in cubic inches) plus three times the total length of its edges
(in inches) is equal to twice its surface area (in square inches). How many inches long
is its long diagonal?
√
Solution: 6 3
If the side length of the cube is s inches, then the condition implies s3 + 3 · 12s = 2 · 6s2 ,
or√s(s2 −√12s + 36) = s(s − 6)2 = 0. Therefore s = 6, and the long diagonal has length
s 3 = 6 3.
2. Let ABCD be a regular tetrahedron with side length 2. The plane parallel to edges
AB and CD and lying halfway between them cuts ABCD into two pieces. Find the
surface area of one of these pieces.
√
Solution: 1 + 2 3
The plane intersects each face of the tetrahedron in a midline of the face; by symmetry
it follows that the intersection of the plane with the tetrahedron is a square of side
length 1. The surface area of each piece is half √ the total surface
√ area of the tetrahedron
2
plus the area of the square, that is, 21 · 4 · 2 4 3 + 1 = 1 + 2 3.
3. Let ABCD be a rectangle with area 1, and let E lie on side CD. What is the area of
the triangle formed by the centroids of triangles ABE, BCE, and ADE?
Solution: 1/9
Let the centroids of ABE, BCE, and ADE be denoted by X, Y , and Z, respectively.
Let d(P, QR) denote the distance from P to line QR. Since the centroid lies two-thirds
of the distance from each vertex to the midpoint of the opposite edge, d(X, AB) =
d(Y, CD) = d(Z, CD) = 13 BC, so Y Z is parallel to CD and d(X, Y Z) = BC −
2
3
BC = 13 BC. Likewise, d(Z, AD) = 13 DE and d(Y, BC) = 31 CE, so that since Y Z
is perpendicular to AD and BC, we have that Y Z = CD − 13 (DE + CE) = 23 CD.
Therefore, the area of XY Z is 12 ( 13 BC)( 23 CD) = 91 BC · CD = 19 .

A B

D E C

4. Let XY Z be a triangle with 6 X = 60◦ and 6 Y = 45◦ . A circle with center P passes
through points A and B on side XY , C and D on side Y Z, and E and F on side ZX.
Suppose AB = CD = EF . Find 6 XP Y in degrees.

1
 Solution: 255/2
Since P AB, P CD, and P EF are all isosceles triangles with equal legs and equal
bases, they are congruent. It follows that the heights of each are the same, so that P is
equidistant from the sides of XY Z. Therefore, P is the incenter and therefore lies on
the angle bisectors of XY Z. Thus 6 Y XP = 12 6 Y XZ = 30◦ and 6 P Y X = 12 6 ZY X =
45 ◦ ◦ ◦
2
. Therefore 6 XP Y = 180◦ − 30◦ − 45
2
= 255
2
.

5. A cube with side length 2 is inscribed in a sphere. A second cube, with faces parallel
to the first, is inscribed between the sphere and one face of the first cube. What is the
length of a side of the smaller cube?
Solution: 2/3
√
First note√that the long diagonal of the cube has length 2 3, so the radius of the
sphere is 3. Let x be the side length of the smaller cube. Then the distance from the
center of the sphere to the far face of the smaller cube is 1 + x,
√ while the distance from
the center of the far face to a vertex lying on the sphere is x 2 2 . Therefore, the square
2
of the radius is 3 = (1 + x)2 + x2 , or 3x2 + 4x − 4 = (3x − 2)(x + 2) = 0, so x = 23 .

6. A triangular piece of paper of area 1 is folded along a line parallel to one of the sides
and pressed flat. What is the minimum possible area of the resulting figure?
Solution: 2/3
Let the triangle be denoted ABC, and suppose we fold parallel to BC. Let the distance
from A to BC be h, and suppose we fold along a line at a distance of ch from A. We
will assume that neither angle B nor C is obtuse, for the area of overlap will only be
smaller if either is obtuse. If c ≤ 12 , then A does not fold past the edge BC, so the
overlap is a triangle similar to the original with height ch; the area of the figure is
then 1 − c2 ≥ 34 . Suppose c > 12 , so that A does fold past BC. Then the overlap is a
trapezoid formed by taking a triangle of height ch similar to the original and removing
a triangle of height (2c − 1)h similar to the original. The area of the resulting figure is
thus 1 − c2 + (2c − 1)2 = 3c2 − 4c + 2. This is minimized when c = 32 , when the area
is 23 < 34 ; the minimum possible area is therefore 23 .

7. Let ABCD be a tetrahedron such that edges AB, AC, and AD are mutually perpen-
dicular. Let the areas of triangles ABC, ACD, and ADB be denoted by x, y, and z,
respectively. In terms of x, y, and z, find the area of triangle BCD.
√ 2
Solution: x + y2 + z2
Place A, B, C, and D at (0, 0, 0), (b, 0, 0), (0, c, 0), and (0, 0, d) in Cartesian coordinate
space, with b, c, and d positive. Then the plane through B, C, and D is given by the
equation xb + yc + dz = 1. The distance from the origin to this plane is then
1 bcd bcd
q =√ = √ 2 .
1
+ 1
+ 1 b2 c2 2 2 2
+c d +d b2 2 x + y2 + z2
b2 c2 d2

Then if the area of BCD is K, the volume of the tetrahedron is

bcd bcdK
= √ 2 ,
6 6 x + y2 + z2

2
 √
implying K = x2 + y 2 + z 2 .
Alternative Solution: The area of BCD is also half the length of the cross prod-
−−→ −−→
uct of the vectors BC = (0, −c, d) and BD = (−b, √ 2 0, d). This cross product is
(−cd, −db,
√ −bc) = −2(y, z, x), which has length 2 x + y + z 2 . Thus the area of
2

BCD is x + y 2 + z 2 .
2

8. Let T be a triangle with side lengths 26, 51, and 73. Let S be the set of points inside
T which do not lie within a distance of 5 of any side of T . Find the area of S.
Solution: 135/28
Note that the sides of S are parallel to the sides of T , so S is a triangle similar to T .
The semiperimeter of T is s = 12 (26 + 51 + 73) = 75. By Heron’s formula, the area
√
of T is 75 · 49 · 24 · 2 = 420. If r is the inradius of T , then the area of T is rs, so
r = 420/75 = 28/5. It follows that the inradius of S is r − 5 = 3/5, and the ratio of
similitude between S and T is 3/28. Therefore, the area of S is 420 · (3/28)2 = 135/28.
9. Let AC be a diameter of a circle ω of radius 1, and let D be the point on AC such
that CD = 1/5. Let B be the point on ω such that DB is perpendicular to AC, and
let E be the midpoint of DB. The line tangent to ω at B intersects line CE at the
point X. Compute AX.
Solution: 3
We first show that AX is perpendicular to AC. Let the tangent to ω at A intersect
CB at Z and CE at X 0 . Since ZA is parallel to BD and BE = ED, ZX 0 = X 0 A.
Therefore, X 0 is the midpoint of the hypotenuse of the right triangle ABZ, so it is also
its circumcenter. Thus X 0 A = X 0 B, and since X 0 A is tangent to ω and B lies on ω,
we must have that X 0 B is tangent to ω, so X = X 0 .
Let O be the center of ω. Then OD = 54 , so BD = 3
5
and DE = 3
10
. Then AX =
AC 3 2
DE · DC = 10 · 1/5 = 3.

X’

E
A C
O D

3
10. Let AB be the diameter of a semicircle Γ. Two circles, ω1 and ω2 , externally tangent
to each other and internally tangent to Γ, are tangent to the line AB at P and Q,
respectively, and to semicircular arc AB at C and D, respectively, with AP < AQ.
Suppose F lies on Γ such that 6 F QB = 6 CQA and that 6 ABF = 80◦ . Find 6 P DQ
in degrees.
Solution: 35
Extend the semicircle centered at O to an entire circle ω, and let the reflection of F
over AB be F 0 . Then CQF 0 is a straight line. Also, the homothety centered at C
taking ω1 into ω takes P to a point X on ω and AB to the parallel line tangent to ω
at X. Therefore, X is the midpoint of semicircle AXB, and C, P , and X lie on a line.
Similarly, D, Q, and X lie on a line. So,

45◦ = 6 XCB = 6 P CB = 6 P CQ + 6 QCB = 6 P CQ + 10◦ ,

since 6 QCB = 6 F 0 CB = 6 F 0 AB = 6 F AB = 90◦ − 6 ABF = 10◦ . Thus 6 P CQ = 35◦ .

We will show that 6 P CQ = 6 P DQ to get that 6 P DQ = 35◦ .
Note that 6 XP Q subtends the sum of arcs AC and BX, which is equal to arc XC.
Therefore 6 XP Q = 6 CDX, so CDQP is cyclic and 6 P CQ = 6 P DQ. The conclusion
follows.

A B
P O Q

F’