Ratio

Geometry Level 4

A rhombus has half the area of the square with the same side length.

What is the ratio of the longer diagonal to that of the shorter one-


The answer is 3.732.

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1 solution

Pranjal Jain
Dec 1, 2014

Let the side be a a . Area of square will be a 2 a^{2} . So the area of rhombus must be a 2 2 \frac{a^{2}}{2} . Let diagonals be denoted by d 1 d_{1} and d 2 d_{2} , d 1 > d 2 d_{1}>d_{2}

1 2 d 1 d 2 = a 2 2 \frac{1}{2}d_{1}d_{2}=\frac{a^{2}}{2} d 1 d 2 = a 2 \Rightarrow d_{1}d_{2}=a^{2} .......(1) \color{#D61F06}{\text{.......(1)}}

By pythagoras theorem,

( d 1 2 ) 2 + ( d 2 2 ) 2 = a 2 \big (\frac{d_{1}}{2} \big )^{2}+\big (\frac{d_{2}}{2} \big )^{2}=a^{2}

d 1 2 + d 2 2 = 4 a 2 \Rightarrow d_{1}^{2}+d_{2}^{2}=4a^{2} .......(2) \color{#D61F06}{\text{.......(2)}}

(2) + 2 × (1) \color{#D61F06}{\text{(2)}}+2×\color{#D61F06}{\text{(1)}}

( d 1 + d 2 ) 2 = 6 a 2 (d_{1}+d_{2})^{2}=6a^{2}

d 1 + d 2 = 6 a d_{1}+d_{2}=\sqrt{6}a .......(3) \color{#D61F06}{\text{.......(3)}}

(2) 2 × (1) \color{#D61F06}{\text{(2)}}-2×\color{#D61F06}{\text{(1)}}

( d 1 d 2 ) 2 = 2 a 2 (d_{1}-d_{2})^{2}=2a^{2}

d 1 d 2 = 2 a d_{1}-d_{2}=\sqrt{2}a .......(4) \color{#D61F06}{\text{.......(4)}}

Divide ( 3 ) \color{#D61F06}{(3)} by ( 4 ) \color{#D61F06}{(4)} , and apply componendo and dividendo to get

d 1 d 2 = 3 + 1 3 1 = 2 + 3 = 3.732 \frac{d_{1}}{d_{2}}=\frac{\sqrt{3}+1}{\sqrt{3}-1}=2+\sqrt{3}=\boxed{3.732}

Nice solution, Pranjal. Note that 2 + 3 = cot ( 1 5 ) 2 + \sqrt{3} = \cot(15^{\circ}) .

Brian Charlesworth - 6 years, 6 months ago

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Yeah! Is there any relation with this question?

Pranjal Jain - 6 years, 6 months ago

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Yes, there is. If the acute angle of the rhombus is θ \theta , then the area of the rhombus will be a 2 sin ( θ ) a^{2}\sin(\theta) . For this to equal a 2 2 \frac{a^{2}}{2} we must have

sin ( θ ) = 1 2 θ = 3 0 \sin(\theta) = \frac{1}{2} \Longrightarrow \theta = 30^{\circ} .

Now, looking at a diagram of the rhombus and diagonals, since the diagonals cross at right angles we see that d 1 , d 2 d_{1}, d_{2} are such that d 1 2 , d 2 2 \frac{d_{1}}{2}, \frac{d_{2}}{2} and hypotenuse a a form a right triangle with angle 3 0 2 = 1 5 \frac{30^{\circ}}{2} = 15^{\circ} opposite the side length d 1 2 \frac{d_{1}}{2} .

Thus cot ( 1 5 ) = d 2 2 d 1 2 = d 2 d 1 \cot(15^{\circ}) = \dfrac{\frac{d_{2}}{2}}{\frac{d_{1}}{2}} = \dfrac{d_{2}}{d_{1}} .

Brian Charlesworth - 6 years, 6 months ago

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Ritu Roy - 6 years, 6 months ago

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Pranjal Jain - 6 years, 6 months ago

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