2022 AMC 12A Problems/Problem 22
Contents
Problem
Let be a real number, and let and be the two complex numbers satisfying the equation . Points , , , and are the vertices of (convex) quadrilateral in the complex plane. When the area of obtains its maximum possible value, is closest to which of the following?
Solution
Because is real, . We have where the first equality follows from Vieta's formula.
Thus, .
We have where the first equality follows from Vieta's formula.
Thus, .
We have where the second equality follows from Vieta's formula.
We have where the second equality follows from Vieta's formula.
Therefore, where the inequality follows from the AM-GM inequality, and it is augmented to an equality if and only if . Thus, .
~Steven Chen (Professor Chen Education Palace, www.professorchenedu.com)
Solution 2
Because , notice that . Furthermore, note that because is real, . Thus, . Similarly, . On the complex coordinate plane, let , ,, . Notice how is similar to . Thus, the area of is for some constant , and (In progress)
Solution 3
Since , which is the sum of roots and , is real, .
Let . Then . Note that the product of the roots is by Vieta's, so .
Thus, . With the same process, .
So, our four points are and . WLOG let be in the first quadrant and graph these four points on the complex plane. Notice how quadrilateral Q is a trapezoid with the real axis as its axis of symmetry. It has a short base with endpoints and , so its length is . Likewise, its long base has endpoints and , so its length is .
The height, which is the distance between the two lines, is the difference between the real values of the two bases .
Plugging these into the area formula for a trapezoid, we are trying to maximize . Thus, the only thing we need to maximize is .
With the restriction that , is maximized when .
Remember, is the sum of the roots, so ~quacker88
Video Solution by Punxsutawney Phil
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bbMcdvlPcyA
Video Solution by Steven Chen
~Steven Chen (Professor Chen Education Palace, www.professorchenedu.com)
See Also
2022 AMC 12A (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | |
Preceded by Problem 21 |
Followed by Problem 23 |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 | |
All AMC 12 Problems and Solutions |
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