2022 AMC 12B Problems/Problem 10

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Problem

Regular hexagon $ABCDEF$ has side length $2$. Let $G$ be the midpoint of $\overline{AB}$, and let $H$ be the midpoint of $\overline{DE}$. What is the perimeter of $GCHF$?

$\textbf{(A)}\ 4\sqrt3 \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ 8 \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 4\sqrt5 \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ 4\sqrt7 \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ 12$

Solution 1 (No trig)

Let the center of the hexagon be $O$. $\triangle AOB$, $\triangle BOC$, $\triangle COD$, $\triangle DOE$, $\triangle EOF$, and $\triangle FOA$ are all equilateral triangles with side length $2$. Thus, $CO = 1$, and $GO = \sqrt{AO^2 - AG^2} = \sqrt{3}$. By symmetry, $\angle COG = 90^{\circ}$. Thus, by the Pythagorean theorem, $CG = \sqrt{2^2 + \sqrt{3}^2} = \sqrt{7}$. Because $CO = OF$ and $GO = OH$, $CG = HC = FH = GF = \sqrt{7}$. Thus, the solution to our problem is $\sqrt{7} + \sqrt{7} + \sqrt{7} + \sqrt{7} = \boxed{\textbf{(D)} \ 4 \sqrt 7}$

~mathboy100

Solution 2

Consider triangle $AFG$. Note that $AF = 2$, $AG = 1$, and $\angle GAF = 120 ^{\circ}$ because it is an interior angle of a regular hexagon. (See note for details.)

By the Law of Cosines, we have:

\begin{align*} FG^2 &= AG^2 + AF^2 - 2 \cdot AG \cdot AF \cdot \cos \angle GAF \\ FG^2 &= 1^2 + 2^2 - 2 \cdot 1 \cdot 2 \cdot \cos 120 ^{\circ} \\ FG^2 &= 5 + 4 \cdot \left( \frac 12 \right) \\ FG^2 &= 7 \\ FG &= \sqrt 7. \end{align*}

By SAS Congruence, triangles $AFG$, $BCG$, $CDH$, and $EFH$ are congruent, and by CPCTC, quadrilateral $GCHF$ is a rhombus. Therefore, the perimeter of $GCHF$ is $4 \cdot FG = \boxed{\textbf{(D)} \ 4 \sqrt 7}$.

Note: The sum of the interior angles of any polygon with $n$ sides is given by $180 ^{\circ} (n - 2)$. Therefore, the sum of the interior angles of a hexagon is $720 ^{\circ}$, and each interior angle of a regular hexagon measures $\frac{720 ^{\circ}}{6} = 120 ^{\circ}$.

Video Solution 1

https://youtu.be/pIdM5l3CyUY

~Education, the Study of Everything

See Also

2022 AMC 12B (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 9
Followed by
Problem 11
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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