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2006 AMC 12A Problem 22

Problem 22 of 25HarderGeometryCounting & Probability

A circle of radius rr is concentric with and outside a regular hexagon of side length 2.2. The probability that three entire sides of the hexagon are visible from a randomly chosen point on the circle is 12.\frac{1}{2}. What is r?r?

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Solution

Place the hexagon at the center of the circle. Corresponding to each vertex is an arc from which only the two sides meeting there are entirely visible. These six congruent arcs make up the complementary probability 12,\tfrac{1}{2}, so each arc measures 30.30^\circ. Take the arc centered on the ray from the center OO through a vertex A,A, and let PP be its upper endpoint. Then POA=15,\angle POA = 15^\circ, and at PP a third side is just becoming visible, so PP lies on that side’s supporting line. Its distance from OO is the apothem 3.\sqrt{3}. Hence 3=rsin15=r624,\sqrt{3} = r\sin 15^\circ = r \cdot \dfrac{\sqrt{6} - \sqrt{2}}{4}, giving r=4362=32+6. r = \frac{4\sqrt{3}}{\sqrt{6} - \sqrt{2}} = 3\sqrt{2} + \sqrt{6}. Thus, the correct answer is D.

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Concepts: geometric probability · regular polygon · trigonometry

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