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JEE Mathematics 2024 Question with Solution

If the sum of squares of all real values of α\alpha, for which the lines 2xy+3=02x - y + 3 = 0, 6x+3y+1=06x + 3y + 1 = 0, and αx+2y2=0\alpha x + 2y - 2 = 0 do not form a triangle is pp, then the greatest integer less than or equal to pp is:

  • A

    3232

  • B

    6464

  • C

    2929

  • D

    4141

Answer

Correct answer:A

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: The three lines are 2xy+3=02x - y + 3 = 0, 6x+3y+1=06x + 3y + 1 = 0, and αx+2y2=0\alpha x + 2y - 2 = 0.

Find: The greatest integer less than or equal to pp, where pp is the sum of squares of all real values of α\alpha for which these lines do not form a triangle.

Three lines do not form a triangle if at least two of them are parallel. The solution analyzes the parallelism condition using

a1a2=b1b2\frac{a_1}{a_2} = \frac{b_1}{b_2}

For lines 2xy+3=02x - y + 3 = 0 and 6x+3y+1=06x + 3y + 1 = 0,

2613\frac{2}{6} \ne \frac{-1}{3}

so these two lines are not parallel.

For lines 2xy+3=02x - y + 3 = 0 and αx+2y2=0\alpha x + 2y - 2 = 0,

2α=12\frac{2}{\alpha} = \frac{-1}{2}

Hence,

α=4\alpha = -4

For lines 6x+3y+1=06x + 3y + 1 = 0 and αx+2y2=0\alpha x + 2y - 2 = 0,

6α=32\frac{6}{\alpha} = \frac{3}{2}

Hence,

α=4\alpha = 4

Therefore, the real values are α=4\alpha = -4 and α=4\alpha = 4. So,

p=(4)2+(4)2=16+16=32p = (-4)^2 + (4)^2 = 16 + 16 = 32

The greatest integer less than or equal to pp is 3232. Therefore, the correct option is A.

Note on conflicting extracted approach

The second extracted approach mentions an additional value α=45\alpha = \frac{4}{5} from concurrency, but it also states

p=(45)2+42+42=32p = \left(\frac{4}{5}\right)^2 + 4^2 + 4^2 = 32

which is numerically inconsistent. Since the first approach gives a coherent derivation and concludes p=32p = 32, the defensible answer is 3232.

Common mistakes

  • Checking only concurrency and forgetting parallelism. Here, failure to form a triangle occurs when any two lines are parallel; test slope or coefficient ratios first.

  • Using the condition a1a2=b1b2=c1c2\frac{a_1}{a_2} = \frac{b_1}{b_2} = \frac{c_1}{c_2} incorrectly. That condition is for coincident lines, not merely parallel lines. For parallel lines, compare only the coefficients of xx and yy.

  • Finding the values α=4,4\alpha = -4, 4 correctly but adding them instead of summing their squares. The question asks for (4)2+42(-4)^2 + 4^2, not 4+4-4 + 4.

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