GeometryDifficulty 7.2National olympiad, round 2Find the answer
A triangle is inscribed in a circle. The vertices of the triangle divide the circle into three arcs of lengths 3, 4, and 5. What is the area of the triangle?
Pick one
Solution
1. Determine the radius of the circle: The perimeter of the circle is the sum of the lengths of the arcs, which is 3+4+5=12. The circumference of a circle is given by 2πr, where r is the radius. Therefore, we have: 2πr=12⟹r=π6
2. Determine the central angles corresponding to each arc: The length of an arc is proportional to the central angle it subtends. The total circumference corresponds to 360∘. Therefore, the angles corresponding to the arcs of lengths 3, 4, and 5 are: Angle for arc 3: 123×360∘=90∘ Angle for arc 4: 124×360∘=120∘ Angle for arc 5: 125×360∘=150∘
3. Use the Law of Cosines to find the sides of the triangle: For each central angle, we can use the Law of Cosines to find the corresponding side of the triangle. The Law of Cosines states: c2=a2+b2−2abcos(θ) where a and b are the radii of the circle (both equal to r), and θ is the central angle.
- For the angle 90∘: a2=r2+r2−2r2cos(90∘)=2r2⟹a=2r
- For the angle 120∘: b2=r2+r2−2r2cos(120∘)=2r2(1−cos(120∘))=2r2(1+21)=3r2⟹b=3r
- For the angle 150∘: c2=r2+r2−2r2cos(150∘)=2r2(1−cos(150∘))=2r2(1+23)=(2+3)r2⟹c=(2+3)r
4. Calculate the area of the triangle using the formula for the area of a triangle with given sides and circumradius: The area A of a triangle with sides a, b, and c and circumradius R is given by: A=4Rabc Substituting a=2r, b=3r, c=(2+3)r, and R=r: A=4r(2r)(3r)((2+3)r) Simplifying: A=4r6r3(2+3)=46r2(2+3) Substituting r=π6: A=46(π6)2(2+3)=46(π236)(2+3)=4π2366(2+3) Simplifying further: A=π296(2+3) Since 6(2+3)=12+63=3+3: A=π29(3+3)
The final answer is π29(3+3)
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