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2015 AMC 10B Problem 13

Problem 13 of 25IntermediateGeometry

The line 12x+5y=6012x+5y=60 forms a triangle with the coordinate axes. What is the sum of the lengths of the altitudes of this triangle?

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Solution

The triangle is a right triangle with legs of 1212 and 5.5. This makes the hypotenuse 13.13. Two of the altitudes are then 1212 and 5.5. Also, for any side, A=bh2A = \frac{bh}2 where bb is the base and hh is the altitude. The area is 1252=30,\frac {12\cdot 5}2 = 30, so the other altitude hh can be found with 30=13h2.30 = \frac{13h}2. Thus, this altitude is 6013.\frac{60}{13}. Therefore, the sum is 12+5+6013=28113.12+5+\dfrac{60}{13} = \dfrac{281}{13} . Thus, the correct answer is E .

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Concepts: coordinate geometry · altitude · triangle area

Problem text and solution from the LIVE past-contest archive. See also the AoPS wiki page for community solutions.