Polygons!!

Level 2

I liked a problem I saw on brillant and I altered it slightly.

A vertex angle α = 12 0 \alpha = 120^\circ of an isosceles triangle and 2 other regular polygons share a single vertex in such a way that the three shapes completely cover the 36 0 360^\circ of space surrounding the vertex without overlapping.

(1): What is the largest possible number of sides that one of the regular polygons can have?

(2): If the area of the polygon with the larger number of sides is A = 2 + 3 A = 2 + \sqrt{3} and the other polygon has area A = 2 A^{*} = 2 and x x is a side of the polygon with area A A and y y is a side of the polygon with area A A^{*} and y x = a b \dfrac{y}{x} = \sqrt{\dfrac{a}{b}} , where a a and b b are coprime positive integers, Find a + b a + b .


The answer is 5.

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1 solution

Rocco Dalto
Mar 8, 2018

120 + ( n 2 n ) 180 + ( m 2 m ) 180 = 360 n 2 n + m 2 m = 4 3 m + n m n = 1 3 m ( n ) = 3 n n 3 120 + (\dfrac{n - 2}{n})180 + (\dfrac{m - 2}{m})180 = 360 \implies \dfrac{n - 2}{n} + \dfrac{m - 2}{m} = \dfrac{4}{3} \implies \dfrac{m + n}{mn} = \dfrac{1}{3} \implies m(n) = \dfrac{3n}{n - 3} , where n > 3 n > 3 . Since m ( n ) m(n) is monotonic decreasing for n > 3 n = 4 n > 3 \implies n = 4 maximizes m ( n ) m(n) and m ( 4 ) = 12 m(4) = 12 . That is; m ( n ) m ( 4 ) = 12 m(n) \leq m(4) = 12 for n > 3 n > 3 .

For area A A of the dodecagon: Let x x be a side of dodecagon.

x 2 = r sin ( π 12 ) r = x 2 sin ( π 12 ) h = x 2 cot ( π 12 ) A = 3 cot ( π 12 ) x 2 \dfrac{x}{2} = r\sin(\dfrac{\pi}{12}) \implies r = \dfrac{x}{2\sin(\dfrac{\pi}{12})} \implies h = \dfrac{x}{2} \cot(\dfrac{\pi}{12}) \implies A = 3\cot(\dfrac{\pi}{12})x^2 .

cos ( π 12 ) = cos ( π 4 π 6 ) = 1 2 2 ( 3 + 1 ) \cos(\dfrac{\pi}{12}) = \cos(\dfrac{\pi}{4} - \dfrac{\pi}{6}) = \dfrac{1}{2\sqrt{2}}(\sqrt{3} + 1)

sin ( π 12 ) = sin ( π 4 π 6 ) = 1 2 2 ( 3 1 ) \sin(\dfrac{\pi}{12}) = \sin(\dfrac{\pi}{4} - \dfrac{\pi}{6}) = \dfrac{1}{2\sqrt{2}}(\sqrt{3} - 1)

A = 3 ( 3 + 1 3 1 ) x 2 = 3 ( 2 + 3 ) x 2 \implies A = 3(\dfrac{\sqrt{3} + 1}{\sqrt{3} - 1})x^2 = 3(2 + \sqrt{3})x^2

A = 3 ( 2 + 3 ) x 2 = 2 + 3 x = 1 3 A = 3(2 + \sqrt{3})x^2 = 2 + \sqrt{3} \implies x = \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{3}} .

The area of the square A = y 2 = 2 y = 2 A^{*} = y^2 = 2 \implies y = \sqrt{2}

y x = 2 3 = a b a + b = 5 \implies \dfrac{y}{x} = \sqrt{\dfrac{2}{3}} = \sqrt{\dfrac{a}{b}} \implies a + b = \boxed{5} .

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