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Some(?) of the Parts

A circle touches the lines OA, OB and AB where OA and OB are perpendicular. Show that the diameter of the circle is equal to the perimeter of the triangle

Ladder and Cube

A 1 metre cube has one face on the ground and one face against a wall. A 4 metre ladder leans against the wall and just touches the cube. How high is the top of the ladder above the ground?

At a Glance

The area of a regular pentagon looks about twice as a big as the pentangle star drawn within it. Is it?

Where Is the Dot?

Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level

Watch the film below.



Imagine the dot starts at the point $(1,0)$ and turns anticlockwise.

Estimate the height of the dot above the horizontal axis after it has turned through $45^\circ$.

Estimate the angle that the dot needs to turn in order to be exactly $0.5$ units above the horizontal axis.

Show how you can use Pythagoras' Theorem to calculate the height of the dot above the horizontal axis after it has turned through $45^\circ$.

Again, without resorting to Trigonometry, calculate the height of the dot above the horizontal axis after it has turned through $30^\circ$ and $60^\circ$?

Are there any other angles for which you can calculate the height of the dot above the horizontal axis?