Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 3.7 AMC 10/12 Find the answer Canada

In the diagram, PQRSPQRS is a
square with RS=30 cmRS=30~\text{cm}. TUVWTUVW is a square with UU and VV on PSPS so that PU=UV=VSPU=UV=VS.

Point XX is on QRQR so that TXTX is parallel to WRWR. The area of parallelogram TXRWTXRW is

Pick one

Solution

PQRSPQRS is a square with PS=RS=30 cmPS=RS=30\text{ cm}.

Since PU+UV+VS=PS=30 cmPU+UV+VS=PS=30\text{ cm} and
PU=UV=VSPU=UV=VS, then $UV=30 cm3=10\$UV=\dfrac{30\text{ cm}}{3}=10\text{}
cm}$.

TUVWTUVW is a square with UT=TW=VW=UV=10 cmUT=TW=VW=UV=10\text{ cm}.

TXRWTXRW is a parallelogram, and so
XR=TW=10 cmXR=TW=10\text{ cm}.

The height of TXRWTXRW is the vertical
distance between its two parallel and horizontal sides TWTW and XRXR. This vertical height is equal to
$RS+VW=30 cm+10 cm=40\$RS+VW=30\text{ cm}+10\text{ cm}=40\text{}
cm}$.

The area of parallelogram TXRWTXRW is
the product of its base and its height, which is equal to $10 cm×40 cm=400\$10\text{ cm}\times40\text{ cm}=400\text{}
cm}^2$.

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