Browse · harp
Printsmc
geometry senior
Problem
In triangle , , , and . Distinct points , , and lie on segments , , and , respectively, such that , , and . The length of segment can be written as , where and are relatively prime positive integers. What is ?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Solution
Since , quadrilateral is cyclic. It follows that , so are similar. In addition, . We can easily find , , and using Pythagorean triples. So, the ratio of the longer leg to the hypotenuse of all three similar triangles is , and the ratio of the shorter leg to the hypotenuse is . It follows that . Let . By Ptolemy's Theorem, we have Dividing by we get so our answer is .
Final answer
B