In L: Change the WorLd, there was a geometry problem reveal some very important information and lead to the entire world's safety.
The problem itself isn't a big deal, it's just the message hidden in the answer of the problem. So here it goes.
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I believe the Japanese just means "Find it".
The solution:
![]()
So guess I got pwned by a 10 years old.
High school in China includes year 10 to 12. Students who want to get into a good high school have to take the middle school exam and score amazing on it. Each province or sometimes, cities, have their own exam.
This is one of the candidate problem for Beijing this year. It is suppose to be one of those questions that fail 99% of the student body in order to allow only elite to remain.
I saw it here[Chinese].
I tried the question and I was shocked how I suck at geometry. So I used a trigonometry solution, and in the end, using calculus.
Question: Find
.

My solution:








Great, we have the expression! Solving it is the problem

The formula

helps.

How can I do the rest? There are two options, both run some huge calculations.
One is to use the tangent addition formula which I forgot and have to derive from sine and cosine addition formulas... but that will be too long for tests like this in China. I didn't Wikipedia it, it's cheating.
So I use calculus!


We then we have to find
. I believe f'(x) is 0, else we can never find a numerical answer. But this is a test, we have to actually prove that is the case.
In fact, I found
after a huge amount of calculation(which is omitted).
Now, just substitute f(0) for f(b).


There is a elegant geometry solution[Chinese]. This problem cost me few hours, most of the time spending on search for a geometric solution. I finally give up at around 3:30 AM and go with the brutal force "Find all angles and bash the numbers out of arctans."
I would totally fail the real test. I'm questioning myself do I have math talent at all...
Have to improve my geometry skills.
The World's Hardest Easy Geometry Problem ruined my sleep.
Find the measure ofwithout elementary geometry about triangles.
I tried that problem a few months ago for a few hours and failed, so I cheated and looked up the answer.
But today I dreamed about that problem. In my dream, I saw myself using circle to solve that problem.
I woke up, it's 3 am, great time to work on a geometry problem.
So I did. I succeed!
It is cheating to use circles. Only basic properties about triangles, angles and lines are allowed.
Please don't read this if you want to have your own fun with the problem first.
I also have a link for a triangle only solution.
Note: My graph is different because I changed the name of point E to D, and D to E.
Here is where da solutions at.
First looking show that
, so it's nice to consider using symmetry to solve the problem.
Construct 
Draw a circle pass through 
Reflect all points through 
The graph looks like this:

It's easy to see there are some equations

All the angles listed above can be found directly because the other two angles in the triangle are already known.
After finding all the size of those angles and multiply 2 to each side, it reduce to a few simple linear equation, all we have to do is to solve it.
It's a easy linear system can be computed by hand.
Set


We end up with this

because the graph is symmetric.

Thus 
Q.E.D.[Quite Exhausting Demonstration]
I need to start to train my subconscious so I can do math when I'm asleep.
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