1986 AMC 12 Problem 28

Attempt Problem 28 of the 1986 AMC 12 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1986 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

28.

ABCDEABCDE is a regular pentagon. AP,AP, AQAQ and ARAR are the perpendiculars dropped from AA onto CD,CD, CBCB extended and DEDE extended, respectively. Let OO be the center of the pentagon. If OP=1,OP=1, then AO+AQ+ARAO+AQ+AR equals
33
1+51+\sqrt5
44
2+52+\sqrt5
55
Answer: C
Concepts:regular pentagonarea decompositionaltitude
Small hint:
Let ss be the side length and compute the pentagon’s area from its five central triangles
Big hint:
Also split the pentagon into triangles ABC,ABC, ACDACD and ADEADE with altitudes AQ,AP,ARAQ,AP,AR
Solution:
Let the side length be s.s. Since the apothem OP=1,OP=1, the five central triangles give pentagon area 5s2.\frac{5s}{2}. The same pentagon is the union of triangles ABC,ABC, ACDACD and ADE,ADE, whose respective altitudes to side-length bases are AQ,AP,AR.AQ,AP,AR. Hence s2(AQ+AP+AR)=5s2, \frac{s}{2}(AQ+AP+AR)=\frac{5s}{2}, so AQ+AP+AR=5.AQ+AP+AR=5. Also AP=AO+OP=AO+1.AP=AO+OP=AO+1. Therefore AO+AQ+AR=4.AO+AQ+AR=4.
Thus the correct answer is C.
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