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JEE Mathematics 2025 Question with Solution

Let ABCD be a tetrahedron such that the edges ABAB, ACAC and ADAD are mutually perpendicular. Let the areas of the triangles ABCABC, ACDACD, and ADBADB be 55, 66 and 77 square units respectively. Then the area (in square units) of the tetrahedron ABCDABCD is equal to:

  • A

    30\sqrt{30}

  • B

    1212

  • C

    10\sqrt{10}

  • D

    757\sqrt{5}

Answer

Correct answer:C

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: In tetrahedron ABCDABCD, the edges ABAB, ACAC and ADAD are mutually perpendicular. The areas of ABC\triangle ABC, ACD\triangle ACD and ADB\triangle ADB are 55, 66 and 77 square units respectively.

Find: The area of the face BCD\triangle BCD.

Use De Gua's theorem for a tetrahedron with a right-angled vertex:

(ABCD)2=(AABC)2+(AACD)2+(AADB)2(A_{BCD})^2 = (A_{ABC})^2 + (A_{ACD})^2 + (A_{ADB})^2

Substituting the given areas,

(ABCD)2=52+62+72(A_{BCD})^2 = 5^2 + 6^2 + 7^2 (ABCD)2=25+36+49=110(A_{BCD})^2 = 25 + 36 + 49 = 110

Therefore,

ABCD=110A_{BCD} = \sqrt{110}

So the area of BCD\triangle BCD is 110\sqrt{110} square units.

The solution concludes 110\sqrt{110}, but this does not match any option. The solution's marks the correct option as C, so the recorded answer is C despite the discrepancy.

Reasoning from the right-angled vertex

Given: Vertex AA is a right-angled vertex because ABACAB \perp AC, ACADAC \perp AD, and ADABAD \perp AB. The three faces meeting at AA are pairwise perpendicular.

Find: The area opposite AA, namely BCD\triangle BCD.

For such a tetrahedron, the area of the opposite face satisfies the three-dimensional analogue of the Pythagorean theorem:

Area(BCD)2=Area(ABC)2+Area(ACD)2+Area(ADB)2\text{Area}(\triangle BCD)^2 = \text{Area}(\triangle ABC)^2 + \text{Area}(\triangle ACD)^2 + \text{Area}(\triangle ADB)^2

Now insert the values:

Area(BCD)2=52+62+72\text{Area}(\triangle BCD)^2 = 5^2 + 6^2 + 7^2 Area(BCD)2=110\text{Area}(\triangle BCD)^2 = 110

Hence,

Area(BCD)=110\text{Area}(\triangle BCD) = \sqrt{110}

Therefore, the computed face area is 110\sqrt{110} square units, which is inconsistent with the listed options and the marked option C.

Common mistakes

  • Using ordinary Pythagoras on the edge lengths instead of De Gua's theorem on the areas is wrong because the given quantities are face areas, not side lengths. Work directly with the squares of the three orthogonal face areas.

  • Assuming the total surface area is being asked is wrong because the working clearly focuses on the opposite face BCD\triangle BCD. First identify which face must be found before applying any theorem.

  • Trusting the marked option without checking the computation is risky here because the extracted solution gives 110\sqrt{110}, which does not appear in the options. Always verify whether the algebra and the listed options are consistent.

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