2016 AMC 12A Problem 23
Problem 23 of 25HarderGeometryCounting & Probability
Three numbers in the interval are chosen independently and at random. What is the probability that the chosen numbers are the side lengths of a triangle with positive area?
Answer choices
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Solution
The ordered triples fill the unit cube of volume They fail to form a triangle exactly when one value is at least the sum of the other two.
The region is a tetrahedron with vertices of volume The analogous regions and also have volume and have disjoint interiors. So the failure probability is and the triangle probability is
Thus, the correct answer is C.