Art of Problem Solving
AoPS Online
Math texts, online classes, and more
for students in grades 5-12.
Visit AoPS Online ‚
Books for Grades 5-12 Online Courses
Beast Academy
Engaging math books and online learning
for students ages 6-13.
Visit Beast Academy ‚
Books for Ages 6-13 Beast Academy Online
AoPS Academy
Small live classes for advanced math
and language arts learners in grades 2-12.
Visit AoPS Academy ‚
Find a Physical Campus Visit the Virtual Campus

2013 AMC 8 Problems/Problem 24

Revision as of 22:01, 6 September 2024 by Martianrunner (talk | contribs) (→‎Solution 2 (extremely simple))

Problem

Squares $ABCD$, $EFGH$, and $GHIJ$ are equal in area. Points $C$ and $D$ are the midpoints of sides $IH$ and $HE$, respectively. What is the ratio of the area of the shaded pentagon $AJICB$ to the sum of the areas of the three squares?

$\textbf{(A)}\hspace{.05in}\frac{1}{4}\qquad\textbf{(B)}\hspace{.05in}\frac{7}{24}\qquad\textbf{(C)}\hspace{.05in}\frac{1}{3}\qquad\textbf{(D)}\hspace{.05in}\frac{3}{8}\qquad\textbf{(E)}\hspace{.05in}\frac{5}{12}$

[asy] pair A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J; A = (0.5,2); B = (1.5,2); C = (1.5,1); D = (0.5,1); E = (0,1); F = (0,0); G = (1,0); H = (1,1); I = (2,1); J = (2,0); draw(A--B); draw(C--B); draw(D--A); draw(F--E); draw(I--J); draw(J--F); draw(G--H); draw(A--J); filldraw(A--B--C--I--J--cycle,grey); draw(E--I); dot("$A$", A, NW); dot("$B$", B, NE); dot("$C$", C, NE); dot("$D$", D, NW); dot("$E$", E, NW); dot("$F$", F, SW); dot("$G$", G, S); dot("$H$", H, N); dot("$I$", I, NE); dot("$J$", J, SE); [/asy]

Solution 1 (shortcut)

It can be proven that $\Delta ADX \cong \Delta JIX$ (where $X$ is the point where $\overline {AJ}$ intersects $\overline {HC}$) which also means quadrilaterals $ABCX \cong JGHX$ (due to the squares being equal in area which means the squares are congruent, and since the triangles earlier mentioned are congruent). The area of the shaded region is equal to the area of one square since the quadrilaterals and triangles are congruent. The total area of the shape is the area of three squares. Putting these two pieces of information together, the answer is $\boxed{\textbf{(C)}\ \frac {1}{3}}$.

[asy] pair A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,X; A = (0.5,2); B = (1.5,2); C = (1.5,1); D = (0.5,1); E = (0,1); F = (0,0); G = (1,0); H = (1,1); I = (2,1); J = (2,0); X = (1.25,1); draw(A--B); draw(C--B); draw(D--A); draw(F--E); draw(I--J); draw(J--F); draw(G--H); draw(A--J); filldraw(A--B--C--I--J--cycle,grey); draw(E--I); dot("$A$", A, NW); dot("$B$", B, NE); dot("$C$", C, NE); dot("$D$", D, NW); dot("$E$", E, NW); dot("$F$", F, SW); dot("$G$", G, S); dot("$H$", H, N); dot("$I$", I, NE); dot("$J$", J, SE); dot("$X$", X, NE); [/asy]


~ julia333

Solution 2 (extremely simple)

Extend line AD such that it intersects line FG. Call the intersection K. If we assign an arbitrary value to the side lengths of the squares, such as 2, the base of the now formed triangle AJK would have a length of 3, while the height would be 4. The area of triangle AJK would then be 6, and the rectangle EDKF would have an area of 2. 6 + 2 = 8, and since all of the squares' areas add up to a total of 12 (if each has side length 2), we obtain (12 - 8)/12 for the shaded part of the diagram which yields 4/12 = $\boxed{\textbf{(C)}\ \frac {1}{3}}$

~ martianrunner

See Also

2013 AMC 8 (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by
Problem 23 		Followed by
Problem 25
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25
All AJHSME/AMC 8 Problems and Solutions

The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. AMC logo.png

Retrieved from "https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=2013_AMC_8_Problems/Problem_24&oldid=226673"