1987 AIME Problems/Problem 15
Problem
Squares and are inscribed in right triangle , as shown in the figures below. Find if area and area .
Solution
Because all the triangles in the figure are similar to triangle , it's a good idea to use area ratios. In the diagram above, Hence, and . Additionally, the area of triangle is equal to both and
Setting the equations equal and solving for , . Therefore, . However, is equal to the area of triangle ! This means that the ratio between the areas and is , and the ratio between the sides is . As a result, . We now need to find the value of , because .
Let denote the height to the hypotenuse of triangle . Notice that . (The height of decreased by the corresponding height of ) Thus, . Because , .
See also
1987 AIME (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
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