Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /285 of 481

, 2014

Geometry Difficulty 2.3 Junior Find the answer Canada

PQRSPQRS is a square with side length 8. Points TT and UU are on PSPS and QRQR respectively with QU=TS=1QU=TS=1.Figure 0The length of TUTU is closest to

Pick one

Solution

We draw a line through TT to point WW on QRQR so that TWTW is perpendicular to QRQR. [[IMAGE0]] Since TWRSTWRS has three right angles (at WW, RR and SS), then it must be a rectangle. Therefore, WR=TS=1WR=TS=1 and TW=SR=8TW=SR=8. Since QU=1QU=1, then UW=QRQUWR=811=6UW = QR - QU - WR = 8 - 1- 1 = 6. Now, TWU\triangle TWU is right-angled at WW. By the Pythagorean Theorem, we have TU2=TW2+UW2TU^2 = TW^2 + UW^2. Thus, TU2=82+62=64+36=100TU^2 = 8^2 + 6^2 = 64+36=100. Since TU>0TU>0, then TU=100=10TU = \sqrt{100}=10.

Figure for this problem

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,604 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.