Try this beautiful problem from the American Invitational Mathematics Examination I, AIME I, 1988 based on convex polyhedron.
A convex polyhedron has for its faces 12 squares, 8 regular hexagons, and 6 regular octagons. At each vertex of the polyhedron one square, one hexagon, and one octagon meet. How many segments joining vertices of the polyhedron lie in the interior of the polyhedron rather than along an edge or a face?
Integers
Edges
Algebra
Answer: is 840.
AIME I, 1988, Question 10
Geometry Revisited by Coxeter
\({48 \choose 2}\)=1128
Every vertex lies on exactly one vertex of a square/hexagon/octagon
V=(12)(4)=(8)(6)=(6)(8)=48
each vertex is formed by the trisection of three edges and every edge is counted twice, once at each of its endpoints, the number of edges E=\(\frac{3V}{2}\)=72
each of the segment on face of polyhedron is diagonal of that face, so each square gives \(\frac{n(n-3)}{2}=2\) diagonals, each hexagon=9,each octagon=20. The number of diagonals is \((2)(12)+(9)(8)+(20)(6)\)=216
or, number of space diagonals =1128-72-216=840.
AMC - AIME Boot Camp... for brilliant students.
Use our exclusive one-on-one plus group class system to prepare for Math Olympiad
In 2026, the following Cheenta students have been successful for Indian Statistical Institute's M.Stat Entrance. They ranked within the first 50 in the entire country in these entrances. I.S.I. M.Stat Entrance
In 2026, the following Cheenta students have been successful for Indian Statistical Institute's B.Stat Entrance and Chennai Mathematical Institute's B.Sc. Math Entrance. They ranked within the first 200 in the entire country in these entrances. Most of these students attended the problem solving workshops regularly, which happen 5 days every week. CMI B.Sc. Math Entrance […]
In 2025, 8 students from Cheenta Academy cracked the prestigious Regional Math Olympiad. In this post, we will share some of their success stories and learning strategies. The Regional Mathematics Olympiad (RMO) and the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO) are two most important mathematics contests in India.These two contests are for the students who are […]
Cheenta Academy proudly celebrates the success of 27 current and former students who qualified for the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM) 2025, advancing to the next stage — RMO. This accomplishment highlights their perseverance and Cheenta’s ongoing mission to nurture mathematical excellence and research-oriented learning.