A simple calculation

Geometry Level 2

The figure above depicts a rhombicuboctahedron (also called small rhombicuboctahedron). All its faces are squares and equilateral triangles of the same edge length. If the edge length is 1 1 find its volume. The volume can expressed as a + b c 2 a + \dfrac{b}{c} \sqrt{2} for positive integers a , b , c a, b, c with b , c b, c coprime. Enter a + b + c a + b + c .


The answer is 17.

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1 solution

David Vreken
Dec 15, 2020

To make a rhombicuboctahedron with unit sides, start with a unit cube, and on each its 6 6 faces attach a 1 × 1 × 2 2 1 \times 1 \times \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} box, and along each of its 12 12 edges attach a triangular prism with a height of 1 1 and legs of 2 2 \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} , and along each of its 8 8 vertices attach a right tetrahedron with legs of 2 2 \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} . The volume is then:

V rhomb = V cube + 6 V box + 12 V prism + 8 V tetra = 1 3 + 6 1 1 2 2 + 12 1 2 ( 2 2 ) 2 1 + 8 1 6 ( 2 2 ) 3 = 4 + 10 3 3 V_{\text{rhomb}} = V_{\text{cube}} + 6 \cdot V_{\text{box}} + 12 \cdot V_{\text{prism}} + 8 \cdot V_{\text{tetra}} = 1^3 + 6 \cdot 1 \cdot 1 \cdot \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} + 12 \cdot \frac{1}{2} \cdot \bigg(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\bigg)^2 \cdot 1 + 8 \cdot \frac{1}{6} \cdot \bigg(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\bigg)^3 = 4 + \frac{10}{3}\sqrt{3}

Therefore, a = 4 a = 4 , b = 10 b = 10 , c = 3 c = 3 , and a + b + c = 17 a + b + c = \boxed{17} .

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