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2016 AMC 12A Problem 23

Problem 23 of 25HarderGeometryCounting & Probability

Three numbers in the interval [0,1][0,1] are chosen independently and at random. What is the probability that the chosen numbers are the side lengths of a triangle with positive area?

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Solution

The ordered triples (x,y,z)(x,y,z) fill the unit cube of volume 1.1. They fail to form a triangle exactly when one value is at least the sum of the other two. The region zx+yz\ge x+y is a tetrahedron with vertices (0,0,0),(0,0,1),(0,1,1),(1,0,1)(0,0,0),(0,0,1),(0,1,1),(1,0,1) of volume 16.\frac16. The analogous regions xy+zx\ge y+z and yx+zy\ge x+z also have volume 16\frac16 and have disjoint interiors. So the failure probability is 316=12,3\cdot\frac16=\frac12, and the triangle probability is 112=12.1-\frac12=\frac12. Thus, the correct answer is C.

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Concepts: geometric probability · triangle inequality · volume

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