2016 AMC 12B Problems/Problem 6

Problem

All three vertices of $\bigtriangleup ABC$ lie on the parabola defined by $y=x^2$, with $A$ at the origin and $\overline{BC}$ parallel to the $x$-axis. The area of the triangle is $64$. What is the length of $BC$?

$\textbf{(A)}\ 4\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ 6\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ 8\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ 10\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ 16$

Solution

By: Albert471

Plotting points $B$ and $C$ on the graph shows that they are at $\left( -x,x^2\right)$ and $\left( x,x^2\right)$, which is isosceles. By setting up the triangle area formula you get: $64=\frac{1}{2}*2x*x^2  =   64=x^3$ Making x=4, and the length of $BC$ is $2x$, so the answer is $\boxed{\textbf{(C)}\ 8}$.

See Also

2016 AMC 12B (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 5
Followed by
Problem 7
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All AMC 12 Problems and Solutions

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