It Is All Circles

Geometry Level 2

The problem below is a problem I saw on brillant which I slightly modified.

The two rays in the diagram make an angle of 6 0 . 60^\circ. The first circle is tangent to both rays and has radius 1. Each successive circle is tangent to the two rays and externally tangent to the previous circle.

If the white region of the area A A in the diagram above for 1954 1954 circles can be expressed as A = a b c a ( c a a a π ) + π c a A = \dfrac{a^b}{c^a}(c^a\sqrt{a} - a\pi) + \dfrac{\pi}{c^a} , where a , b a,b and c c are coprime positive integers, find a + b + c a + b + c .


The answer is 3912.

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1 solution

Rocco Dalto
Apr 12, 2018

For the first equilateral triangle with inscribed circle whose radius r 1 = 1 r_{1} = 1 we have 1 2 3 x 1 = 1 x 1 = 2 3 \dfrac{1}{2\sqrt{3}}x_{1} = 1 \implies x _{1}= 2\sqrt{3} .

Using the tangents to the second circle the midpoint of the second equilateral triangle is 3 3 3\sqrt{3} \implies the side of the second equilateral triangle is x 2 = 6 3 r 2 = 3 x_{2} = 6\sqrt{3} \implies r_{2} = 3 . The two triangles are in proportion as is the two circles with common ratio 3 3 .

Using the tangents to the third circle the midpoint of the second equilateral triangle is 9 3 9\sqrt{3} \implies the side of the second equilateral triangle is x 3 = 18 3 r 3 = 3 x_{3} = 18\sqrt{3} \implies r_{3} = 3 .

In general the midpoint of the n n th equilateral triangle is 3 n 1 3 3^{n - 1}\sqrt{3} \implies the side of the n n th equilateral triangle is x n = 2 3 3 n 1 r n = 3 n 1 x_{n} = 2\sqrt{3} * 3^{n - 1} \implies r_{n} = 3^{n - 1} \implies

The area of the n n th triangle with height h n = 3 2 ( 2 3 3 n 1 ) h_{n} = \dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}(2\sqrt{3} * 3^{n - 1}) is A n = 3 2 n 1 3 A^{*}_{n} =3^{2n - 1}\sqrt{3} and the sum of the areas of the n n circles is A n = π j = 1 n r j 2 = π j = 1 n 9 j 1 = ( 3 2 n 1 ) π 8 A^{**}_{n} = \pi\sum_{j = 1}^{n} r_{j}^2 = \pi\sum_{j = 1}^{n} 9^{j - 1} = \dfrac{(3^{2n} - 1)\pi}{8}

\implies The desired area A n = 3 2 n 1 ( 3 3 π 8 ) + π 8 = 3 2 n 1 8 ( 8 3 3 π ) + π 8 A_{n} = 3^{2n - 1}(\sqrt{3} - \dfrac{3\pi}{8}) + \dfrac{\pi}{8} = \dfrac{3^{2n - 1}}{8}(8\sqrt{3} - 3\pi) + \dfrac{\pi}{8} .

For n = 1954 A = 3 3907 2 3 ( 2 3 3 3 π ) + π 2 3 = a b c a ( c a a a ) + π c a a + b + c = 3912 n = 1954 \implies A = \dfrac{3^{3907}}{2^3}(2^3\sqrt{3} - 3\pi) + \dfrac{\pi}{2^3} = \dfrac{a^b}{c^a}(c^a\sqrt{a} - a) + \dfrac{\pi}{c^a} \implies a + b + c = \boxed{3912} .

LoL nice problem, i managed to solve the end without breaking my pencil but still, your problems are quit challenging sometimes at the end.

Valentin Duringer - 1 year, 2 months ago

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