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2021 Fall AMC 10B Problem 17

Problem 17 of 25IntermediateAlgebraGeometry

Distinct lines ℓ\ell and mm lie in the xyxy-plane. They intersect at the origin. Point P(−1,4)P(-1, 4) is reflected about line ℓ\ell to point P′,P', and then P′P' is reflected about line mm to point P′′.P''. The equation of line ℓ\ell is 5x−y=0,5x - y = 0, and the coordinates of P′′P'' are (4,1).(4,1). What is the equation of line m?m?

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Solution

Two reflections across lines through the origin are equivalent to a rotation by twice the angle from the first reflecting line to the second. The point (−1,4)(-1,4) is sent to (4,1),(4,1), which is a 90∘90^\circ clockwise rotation. Therefore line mm is 45∘45^\circ clockwise from line ℓ.\ell. The slope of ℓ\ell is 5.5. If θm=θℓ−45∘,\theta_m=\theta_\ell-45^\circ, then tan⁡θm=5−11+5=23.\tan\theta_m=\frac{5-1}{1+5}=\frac23. Thus line mm is y=23x,y=\frac23x, or 2x−3y=0.2x-3y=0. Thus, the answer is D .
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Tagged: transformation · slope · trigonometric identity

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