AMC10 2019 10A, Problem 7

Two lines with slopes $\dfrac{1}{2}$ and $2$ intersect at $(2,2)$. What is the area of the triangle enclosed by these two lines and the line $x+y=10  ?$

Solution: Let's first work out the slope-intercept form of all three lines: $(x,y)=(2,2)$ and $y=\frac{x}{2} + b$ implies $2=\frac{2}{2} +b=1+b$ so $b=1$, while $y=2x + c$ implies $2= 2 \cdot 2+c=4+c$ so $c=-2$. Also, $x+y=10$ implies $y=-x+10$. Thus the lines are $y=\frac{x}{2} +1, y=2x-2,$ and $y=-x+10$. Now we find the intersection points between each of the lines with $y=-x+10$, which are $(6,4)$ and $(4,6)$. Using the distance formula and then the Pythagorean Theorem, we see that we have an isosceles triangle with base $2\sqrt{2}$ and height $3\sqrt{2}$, whose area is $\fbox{6}$.

Answer: 6