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jmc

geometry senior

Problem

The parallelogram bounded by the lines , , , and has area 18. The parallelogram bounded by the lines , , , and has area 72. Given that , , , and are positive integers, what is the smallest possible value of ?
Solution
Two vertices of the first parallelogram are at and .



The -coordinates of the other two vertices satisfy and , so the -coordinates are . Thus the parallelogram is composed of two triangles, each of which has area It follows that .

By a similar argument using the second parallelogram, . Subtracting the first equation from the second yields , so . Thus is even, and is minimized when . Also, is a multiple of 27, and is minimized when . Hence the smallest possible value of is . Note that the required conditions are satisfied when .
Final answer
16