Maths Olympiad Prep

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Geometry Difficulty 4.7 AIME Prove it United States

Problem:
Let AA be the area of the largest semicircle that can be inscribed in a quarter-circle of radius 11. Compute 120Aπ\frac{120A}{\pi}.

Solution

Solution:
Figure 1

The optimal configuration is when the two ends XX and YY of the semicircle lie on the arc of the quarter circle. Let OO and PP be the centers of the quarter circle and semicircle, respectively. Also, let MM and NN be the points where the semicircle is tangent to the radii of the quarter circle.

Let rr be the radius of the semicircle. Since PM=PNPM = PN, PMONPMON is a square and OP=2rOP = \sqrt{2} r. By the Pythagorean theorem on triangle OPXOPX, 1=2r2+r21 = 2r^{2} + r^{2}, so r=1/3r = 1/\sqrt{3}. The area of the semicircle is therefore π213=π6\frac{\pi}{2} \cdot \frac{1}{3} = \frac{\pi}{6}.

Therefore,
120Aπ=120π6π=20. \frac{120A}{\pi} = \frac{120 \cdot \frac{\pi}{6}}{\pi} = 20.

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