Is This Enough Information?

Geometry Level 4

A right triangle has legs a a and b b , and hypotenuse c c .

The length of the median to the hypotenuse is a 3 b + b 3 a 3 \sqrt[3]{a^{3}b+b^{3}a} .

If the length of the altitude to the hypotenuse can be expressed in the form m n \dfrac{m}{n} for coprime positive integers m m and n n , find m + n m+n .


The answer is 9.

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2 solutions

Brandon Monsen
Apr 7, 2016

We know that for any right triangle that the median to the hypotenuse is half of the length of the hypotenuse, so we get that c = 2 a 3 b + b 3 a 3 = 2 a b 3 a 2 + b 2 3 c=2\sqrt[3]{a^{3}b+b^{3}a}=2\sqrt[3]{ab}\sqrt[3]{a^{2}+b^{2}} .

By Pythagorean Theorem, c 2 = a 2 + b 2 c^{2}=a^{2}+b^{2} , and so we know that a 2 + b 2 3 = c 2 3 \sqrt[3]{a^{2}+b^{2}}=c^{\frac{2}{3}}

Let the altitude to the hypotenuse be h h . By the basic formula for the area of a triangle, we get that a b 2 = A = c h 2 \frac{ab}{2}=A=\frac{ch}{2} and so we know that a b = c h ab=ch , and a b 3 = c 1 3 h 1 3 \sqrt[3]{ab}=c^{\frac{1}{3}}h^{\frac{1}{3}}

Substituting this all back in, we get that c = 2 c 1 3 h 1 3 c 2 3 c=2c^{\frac{1}{3}}h^{\frac{1}{3}}c^{\frac{2}{3}} , or 1 = 2 h 1 3 1=2h^{\frac{1}{3}} .

Solving for h h gives us h = 1 8 h=\frac{1}{8} , so m + n = 9 m+n=\boxed{9}

Moderator note:

Simple standard approach of working through the equations.

Are there any restrictions on the value of a a and b b ?

Fine done (I did the same.). The question leaves: Why is this Level 5? I would rather tend to 4.

Andreas Wendler - 5 years, 2 months ago

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I would tend to agree with you, low level 5 or high level 4, but as it sits it's at a 7% solve rate and 400 points. Maybe the whole cube root thing turns people off right away from even beginning to play with it. I've done that on problems before where I think it's going to be super tedious.

Brandon Monsen - 5 years, 2 months ago

I solved with the same arguments, though not in the same sequence.

Niranjan Khanderia - 5 years, 2 months ago

I have posted a problem inspired by your problem.

Do check it out :)

This

Harsh Shrivastava - 5 years, 2 months ago

Suppose vertex of triangle be ( 0 , 0 0,0 and the other 2 vertex be ( a , 0 ) , ( 0 , b ) (a,0),(0,b) .

Now the mid point of hypotenuse is ( a / 2 , b / 2 ) (a/2,b/2) .

By distance formulae and using the above given only info as well as c = a 2 + b 2 c= \sqrt{a^{2} + b^{2}} ,

we get c = 8 a b c= 8ab .

Now by using perpendicular length formulae from ( 0 , 0 ) (0,0) to line

x / a + y / b = 1 x/a + y/b = 1 .

We find

h = 1 / 8 h= 1/8 .

Thus answer is

9 \boxed {9} .

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