2017 AMC 8 Problems/Problem 18

Revision as of 13:36, 17 June 2021 by Larryflora (talk | contribs) (Solution 2)

Problem

In the non-convex quadrilateral $ABCD$ shown below, $\angle BCD$ is a right angle, $AB=12$, $BC=4$, $CD=3$, and $AD=13$. What is the area of quadrilateral $ABCD$?

[asy]draw((0,0)--(2.4,3.6)--(0,5)--(12,0)--(0,0)); label("$B$", (0, 0), SW); label("$A$", (12, 0), ESE); label("$C$", (2.4, 3.6), SE); label("$D$", (0, 5), N);[/asy]

$\textbf{(A) }12 \qquad \textbf{(B) }24 \qquad \textbf{(C) }26 \qquad \textbf{(D) }30 \qquad \textbf{(E) }36$

Solution 1

We first connect point $B$ with point $D$.

[asy]draw((0,0)--(2.4,3.6)--(0,5)--(12,0)--(0,0)); draw((0,0)--(0,5)); label("$B$", (0, 0), SW); label("$A$", (12, 0), ESE); label("$C$", (2.4, 3.6), SE); label("$D$", (0, 5), N);[/asy]

We can see that $\triangle BCD$ is a 3-4-5 right triangle. We can also see that $\triangle BDA$ is a right triangle, by the 5-12-13 Pythagorean triple. With these lengths, we can solve the problem. The area of $\triangle BDA$ is $\frac{5\cdot 12}{2}$, and the area of the smaller 3-4-5 triangle is $\frac{3\cdot 4}{2}$. Thus, the area of quadrialteral $ABCD$ is $30-6 = \boxed{\textbf{(B)}\ 24}.$

Solution 2

$\triangle BCD$ is a 3-4-5 right triangle. Then we can use Heron's formula to resolve the problem. The area of $\triangle ABD$ whose sides have lengths 5-12-13 is {A={\sqrt {s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}},} A = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)},. S is the semi-perimeter of the triangle, {s={\frac {a+b+c}{2}}.} s=\frac{a+b+c}{2}=30$. So$ABCD$is$30-6 = \boxed{\textbf{(B)}\ 24}.$

Heron's formula states that the area of a triangle whose sides have lengths a, b, and c is

{\displaystyle A={\sqrt {s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}},} A = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}, where s is the semi-perimeter of the triangle; that is,

{\displaystyle s={\frac {a+b+c}{2}}.} s=\frac{a+b+c}{2}.

https://youtu.be/6yrwfRMV-5k

https://youtu.be/tJm9KqYG4fU?t=2812

See Also

2017 AMC 8 (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 17
Followed by
Problem 19
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All AJHSME/AMC 8 Problems and Solutions

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