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2013 AMC 12B Problem 20

Problem 20 of 25HarderGeometry

For 135<x<180,135^\circ \lt x \lt 180^\circ, points P=(cosx,cos2x),P = (\cos x, \cos^2 x), Q=(cotx,cot2x),Q = (\cot x, \cot^2 x), R=(sinx,sin2x),R = (\sin x, \sin^2 x), and S=(tanx,tan2x)S = (\tan x, \tan^2 x) are the vertices of a trapezoid. What is sin(2x)?\sin(2x)?

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Solution

Each point (t,t2)(t, t^2) lies on y=t2,y = t^2, and the chord through parameters t1,t2t_1, t_2 has slope t1+t2.t_1 + t_2. For 135<x<180,135^\circ \lt x \lt 180^\circ, both cosx\cos x and tanx\tan x lie between cotx\cot x and sinx,\sin x, so PP and SS sit between QQ and RR and the parallel sides are QRQR and PS.PS. Equal slopes give cotx+sinx=tanx+cosx.\cot x + \sin x = \tan x + \cos x. Multiplying by sinxcosx\sin x\cos x and simplifying yields cosx+sinxsinxcosx=0.\cos x + \sin x - \sin x\cos x = 0. Squaring and using 2sinxcosx=sin2x2\sin x\cos x = \sin 2x gives 1+sin2x=14sin22x,1 + \sin 2x = \tfrac14\sin^2 2x, whose only root in (1,1)(-1, 1) is sin2x=222.\sin 2x = 2 - 2\sqrt2. Thus, the correct answer is A.

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Concepts: parabola · trigonometric identity · trapezoid

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