From all corners
Problem
An octagon is formed by the eight lines.
Can you work out the area of the octagon as a fraction of the area of the square?
Below are four different methods for finding the area of the octagon as a fraction of the area of the square. Unfortunately, the statements have been muddled up. Can you put them in the correct order?
Using the sine rule and trigonometry for the area of a triangle
(B) Consider just the square in the bottom left-hand quarter of the diagram. Assume that its sides are 2 units long. The diagonal lines coming from the corners will still go through the midpoints of the sides. Line $AO$ has been added, and it is a line of symmetry.
(C) Angle $M\hat{O}P = 45^\circ$, and so angle $O\hat{P}M = 180^\circ-45^\circ-63.43...=71.56...$
(D) Triangle $OBM$ is right-angled with sides of length 1 and 2, and contains angle $O\hat{M}B$, so $O\hat{M}B=\text{tan}^{-1}\left(\frac21\right) = 63.43...^\circ$
(E) The area of triangle $OMP$ can be found using $\frac12ab\sin{C}$:
(F) Since the area of the whole square is $4$, and the area of each half of the part of the octagon is $\frac1 3$, the octagon occupies $\dfrac{\frac23}4 = \dfrac{\frac13}2=\frac16$ of the area of the square.
(J) $\dfrac {MP}{\sin{45}} = \dfrac{1}{\sin{71.56...}} \Rightarrow MP=\dfrac {\sin{45}}{\sin{71.56}} = 0.74... $ or $\frac{\sqrt5}{3}$
(K) $\frac12\times 1 \times \frac {\sqrt 5}{3} \times \sin{63.43...} = \frac 1 3$
Using coordinate geometry (straight line equations)
(B) Line $M$ has gradient $-\frac12$
(C) Put the origin (0,0) at the centre of the diagram, and let the top right-hand corner of the square be at (1,1). Consider only the part of the diagram that lies in the first quadrant.
(D) $\left(\frac13\right)^2 + \frac12\times\left(\frac13\right)\left(\frac12-\frac13\right)\times2$
$=\frac19 + \left(\frac13\right)\left(\frac12-\frac13\right)$
$=\frac19 + \frac13 \times \frac16$
$=\frac19+\frac1{18}$
$=\frac3{18}=\frac16$
(E) Let the lines drawn to the midpoints (0,1) and (1,0) be $L$ and $M$ respectively. $L$ meets the vertex at (1,-1), so it also goes through the point ($\frac12$,0) and similarly $M$ goes through the point (0,$\frac12$). $L$ and $M$ meet at P, with coordinates ($a$, $b$).
(F) Line $L$ has equation $y=-2x+1$
(G) $b = - 2\times\frac13 + 1 =\frac13$
(H) Since the total area of this quarter of the diagram is $1$, the fraction of the area occupied by the octagon is $\frac16$.
(I) Line $L$ has gradient $-2$
(J) $-2a+1=-\frac12a+\frac12$
$\Rightarrow -4a + 2 = -a+1$
$\Rightarrow 1 = 3a$
$\Rightarrow a=\frac13$
(K) Line $M$ has $y$ intercept $\frac12$
(L) P lies on $M$, so $b=-\frac12a+\frac12$
(M) The area inside the octagon is equal to the area of the two small right-angled triangles plus the area of the square. That is equal to:
(N) Line $L$ has $y$ intercept $1$
(O) Line $M$ has equation $y=-\frac12x+\frac12$
Using classical trigonometry only
(A) Since the angles in triangle $ACM$ add up to $180^\circ$, angle $A\hat{M}C = 90 - 26.56... = 63.43...^\circ$
(B) $\Rightarrow \frac35\times MP = \frac{1}{\sqrt5}$
$\Rightarrow MP = \frac {\sqrt5}{3}$ or $0.745...$
(C) Angle $M\hat{A}C = \text{tan}^{-1}\left(\frac12\right)=26.56...^\circ$
(D) Consider just the square in the bottom left-hand quarter of the diagram. Assume that its sides are 2 units long. The diagonal lines coming from the corners will still go through the midpoints of the sides. Points $W$ and $X$ have been added where vertical and horizontal lines from $P$ meet the edges of the diagram.
(E) The angles in triangle $CMQ$ are equal to the angles in triangle $ACM$, so triangle $CQM$ is similar to triangle $ACM$, and $AM$ and $CN$ are perpendicular
(F) The area of square $OWPX$ is $\left(\frac23\right)^2 = \frac49$, so the area of the part of the diagram that is in the octagon is $\frac69=\frac23$
(G) Triangle $ACM$ is congruent to triangle $CON$, so angles $N\hat{C}O = Q\hat{C}M$ and $M\hat{A}C$ are equal
(H) From triangle $MPQ$, $\cos{53.13...}=\frac{MQ}{MP}$
(I) So $MW = \frac13$ and $WP = \frac23$
(J) So the hypotenuse of triangle $MPW$ is $\frac{\sqrt 5}{3}$ or $0.745...$
(K) The angles on the line $CO$ at point $M$ add up to $180^\circ$, so angle $A\hat{M}B = 180^\circ - 2\times 63.43...^\circ = 53.13...^\circ$
(L) The total area of this diagram is $2\times2=4$, so the fraction that the octagon occupies is $\dfrac{\frac23}{4} = \dfrac16$
(M) So the scale factor from triangle $ACM$ to triangle $MPW$ is $\frac13$
(N) From triangle $CMQ$, $\sin{26.56...}=\frac{MQ}{1} \Rightarrow MQ = \frac{1}{\sqrt5}$ or $0.447...$
(O) The area of triangle $MPW$ is $\frac12\times\frac13\times\frac23 = \frac19$, so the areas of triangles $MPW$ and $NPX$ add up to $\frac29$
(P) Triangle $MPW$ is similar to triangle $ACM$, and the hypotenuse of triangle $ACM$ can be found using Pythagoras' Theorem : $1^2 + 2^2 = 5$ so $AM=\sqrt5$
(Q) Triangle $MBO$ is congruent to triangle $ACM$, so angle $B\hat{M}O = P\hat{M}W =63.43...^\circ$
Using Pythagoras' Theorem only
(A) Consider just the square in the bottom left-hand quarter of the diagram. Assume that its sides are 2 units long. The diagonal lines coming from the corners will still go through the midpoints of the sides. Line $AO$ has been added, and it is a line of symmetry.
(B) Applying Pythagoras' Theorem to triangles $ACM$ and $CON$ gives $1^2+2^2 = 5$, so $AM=CN=\sqrt{5}$
(C) Quadrilateral $ACMP$ has perpendicular diagonals, so its area can be found by multiplying its diagonals and dividing by $2$ (since it contains $4$ right-angled triangles). So the area of quadrilateral $ACMP$ is $AM\times CP\div2$
(D) Triangle $ACM$ is right-angled, and so angles $A\hat{M}C$ and $M\hat{A}C$ add up to $90^\circ$
(E) Triangle $ACM$ is congruent to triangle $CON$, so angles $N\hat{C}O = Q\hat{C}M$ and $M\hat{A}C$ are equal
(F) $PM=PN$ by symmetry
(G) Triangle $CQM$ has hypotenuse $1$, so the scale factor from triangle $CQM$ to triangle $ACM$ is $\sqrt5$. So $CQ = \frac2{\sqrt5}$ and $MQ=\frac1{\sqrt5}$ (or $0.894$ and $0.447$)
(H) So the total area of quadrilateral $ACMP$ and quadrilateral $ABNP$ is $\frac{10}3$, and the total area of the diagram is $2\times2 = 4$. So $\dfrac{\frac{10}3}{4} = \dfrac{\frac{20}{6}}{4}=\dfrac{5}{6}$ of the diagram is outside of the octagon, which means the octagon occupies $\frac16$ of the diagram.
(I) So $AM$ and $CN$ are perpendicular, and triangle $CQM$ is similar to triangle $ACM$
(J) $\Rightarrow \left(\frac1{\sqrt5}\right)^2 + QP^2 = PN^2$
$\Rightarrow \frac15 + QP^2 = \left(\frac 3 {\sqrt5} - QP\right)^2$
$\Rightarrow \frac15 + QP^2= \frac95 - \frac 6 {\sqrt5} QP + QP^2$
$\Rightarrow \frac 15 = \frac 95 - \frac 6{\sqrt5} QP$
$\Rightarrow \frac 6 {\sqrt5} QP = \frac 85$
$\Rightarrow 6QP = \frac 85 \times \sqrt5 =\frac{8\sqrt5}5$
$\Rightarrow QP =\frac{8\sqrt5}{5\times6} = \frac {4\sqrt5}{15}$ or $0.596$
(K) $CN = CQ + QP + PN \Rightarrow \sqrt5= \frac2 {\sqrt5} + QP + PN \Rightarrow QP + PN = \frac 3 {\sqrt5}$ or $1.342$, so $PN = \frac 3 {\sqrt5} - QP$ or $1.342-QP$
(L) $= \sqrt5 \times \left( \frac2{\sqrt5} + \frac {4\sqrt5}{15}\right)\div 2$
$= \left( 2 + \frac {4\times5}{15} \right)\div2$
$= \left( 2 + \frac 4 3\right)\div 2$
$= \frac {10}3\div2$
$= \frac 53$
(M) Therefore angles $Q\hat{C}M$ and $C\hat{M}Q$ add up to $90^\circ$, and so triangle $CQM$ is right-angled
(N) Applying Pythagoras' Theorem to triangle $MPQ$ gives $MQ^2 + QP^2 = PM^2$
Student Solutions
The answer 1/6 was found in a rich variety of ways, but what is really important is not the answer but proving it.
Kathy, Sarah, Alice, Clare, Jenny, Anna, Tam, Claire and their mates in year 10, from the Mount School, York (I hope no-one has been left out) found that there were some triangles that are similar. They had begun "by trying to draw it accurately, using different sizes of square, and those of us who began with a square of side 12 cm arrived at the answer first, because the points all land on easy grid points and the numbers are easy. We then worked back trying to prove/convince ourselves of what we were assuming!".
This group knew that, to make this a really good solution they would have to explain why the vertices of the octagon lie on 'easy' grid points, and they knew the reasons were to do with similar triangles.
Here is the diagram drawn by Amy of Madras College . Her diagram shows clearly that the octagon has an area of 24 square units and the large square an area of 144 square units. Amy gave a good account of how she worked out the answer, but again she assumed, but did not prove, that the vertices of the octagon were exactly on those easy grid points. No-one can know that just from drawing!
For ease of labelling we use co-ordinates, taking O as (0,0) and N as (12,0). By symmetry L is (6,0) and R is (12,6). What about P and Q ? Are they exactly where we have assumed them to be?
From the gradient of the line O R , or the fact that triangles O P L and O R N are similar, it follows that P L = 1/2 R N which proves that the coordinates of P are (6,3).
By symmetry Q is on the diagonal of the square and Q M = M N . Again either from the gradient of the line O R , or the fact that triangles O Q M and O R N are similar we know that O M =2 Q M and putting these two results together we have O M =2 M N so M is the point (8,0) and Q is the point (8,4).
The shortest communique, but without proof, was from Laura, Charlotte and Laura of Maidstone Girls' Grammar School . They wrote:
"Using trigonometry, the sine rule and area of a triangle=1/2 ab sinC, the ratio of the area of the octagon to the square is 1:6" |