Art of Problem Solving
AoPS Online
Math texts, online classes, and more
for students in grades 5-12.
Visit AoPS Online ‚
Books for Grades 5-12 Online Courses
Beast Academy
Engaging math books and online learning
for students ages 6-13.
Visit Beast Academy ‚
Books for Ages 6-13 Beast Academy Online
AoPS Academy
Small live classes for advanced math
and language arts learners in grades 2-12.
Visit AoPS Academy ‚
Find a Physical Campus Visit the Virtual Campus

1963 AHSME Problems/Problem 39

Revision as of 12:40, 21 June 2018 by Rockmanex3 (talk | contribs) (Solution to Problem 39)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Problem 39

In $\triangle ABC$ lines $CE$ and $AD$ are drawn so that $\dfrac{CD}{DB}=\dfrac{3}{1}$ and $\dfrac{AE}{EB}=\dfrac{3}{2}$. Let $r=\dfrac{CP}{PE}$ where $P$ is the intersection point of $CE$ and $AD$. Then $r$ equals:

[asy] size(8cm); pair A = (0, 0), B = (9, 0), C = (3, 6); pair D = (7.5, 1.5), E = (6.5, 0); pair P = intersectionpoints(A--D, C--E)[0]; draw(A--B--C--cycle); draw(A--D); draw(C--E); label("$A$", A, SW); label("$B$", B, SE); label("$C$", C, N); label("$D$", D, NE); label("$E$", E, S); label("$P$", P, S); //Credit to MSTang for the asymptote[/asy]

$\textbf{(A)}\ 3 \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ \dfrac{3}{2}\qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 4 \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ 5 \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ \dfrac{5}{2}$

Solution

[asy] size(8cm); pair A = (0, 0), B = (9, 0), C = (3, 6); pair D = (7.5, 1.5), E = (6.5, 0); pair P = intersectionpoints(A--D, C--E)[0]; draw(A--B--C--cycle); draw(A--D); draw(C--E); label("$A$", A, SW); label("$B$", B, SE); label("$C$", C, N); label("$D$", D, NE); label("$E$", E, S); label("$P$", P, S); draw(P--B,dotted); //Credit to MSTang for the asymptote[/asy]

Draw line $PB$, and let $[PEB] = 2b$, $[PDB] = a$, and $[CAP] = c$, so $[CPD] = 3a$ and $[APE] = 3b$. Because $\triangle CAE$ and $\triangle CEB$ share an altitude, \[c + 3b = \tfrac{3}{2} (3a+a+2b)\] \[c + 3b = 6a + 3b\] \[c = 6a\] Because $\triangle ACD$ and $\triangle ABD$ share an altitude, \[6a+3a = 3(a+2b+3b)\] \[9a = 3a+15b\] \[6a = 15b\] \[a = \tfrac{5}{2}b\] Thus, $[CAP] = 15b$, and since $[APE] = 3b$, $r = \tfrac{CP}{PE} = 5$, which is answer choice $\boxed{\textbf{(D)}}$.

See Also

1963 AHSC (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by
Problem 38 		Followed by
Problem 40
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 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40
All AHSME Problems and Solutions

The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. AMC logo.png

Retrieved from "https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=1963_AHSME_Problems/Problem_39&oldid=95460"