Explanation
Correct answer: 54.
It's given that in triangle , point on side is connected by a line segment with point on side such that line segment is parallel to side . It follows that parallel segments and are intersected by sides and . If two parallel segments are intersected by a third segment, corresponding angles are congruent. Thus, corresponding angles and are congruent and corresponding angles and are congruent. Since triangle has two angles that are each congruent to an angle in triangle , triangle is similar to triangle by the angle-angle similarity postulate, where side corresponds to side , and side corresponds to side . Since the lengths of corresponding sides in similar triangles are proportional, it follows that . Since point lies on side , . It's given that . Substituting for in the equation yields , or . It's given that . Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Thus, the length of line segment is .
Desmos solution:
Note: Since CE=2AE, AE is one-third of AC, so the parallel segment DE is one-third of BC.
Enter in Desmos:
Reviewed and rewritten by CookSAT