Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /129 of 241

, 2020

Geometry Difficulty 2.2 Junior Find the answer Canada

In the diagram, point QQ lies on PRPR and point SS lies on QTQT.

What is the value of xx?

1010
3030
5050
4040
2020

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Since QSTQST is a straight angle, then QSP=180TSP=18050=130\angle QSP = 180^\circ - \angle TSP = 180^\circ - 50^\circ = 130^\circ.

Now RQS\angle RQS is an exterior angle for QSP\triangle QSP.

This means that RQS=QSP+SPQ\angle RQS = \angle QSP + \angle SPQ.

Using the information that we know, 150=130+x150^\circ = 130^\circ + x^\circ and so x=150130=20x = 150 - 130 = 20.

(Alternatively, we could have noted that RQS\angle RQS and SQP\angle SQP are supplementary and then used the sum of the angles in QSP\triangle QSP.)

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,444 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: CEMC, University of Waterloo, licensed CC-BY-NC-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.