One Half is Green

Geometry Level 5

A B C ABC is a triangle, B D BD is the bisector of angle B B , C A CA is extended to E E with A E = B D AE = BD . Find the measure of A B C \angle ABC so that the area of Δ E A B \Delta EAB is half the area of Δ E B C \Delta EBC . Give your answer to 3 decimal places.


The answer is 50.206.

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3 solutions

In order to have the areas of Δ E A B \Delta EAB and Δ A B C \Delta ABC the same we will require that A E = A C |AE| = |AC| , since the two triangles share the same altitude to E C . EC. But since we require that A E = B D |AE| = |BD| we have that B D = A C . |BD| = |AC|.

Now the bisector length formula gives us that

B D 2 = 4 3 ( 4 + 3 ) 2 ( ( 4 + 3 ) 2 A C 2 ) |BD|^{2} = \dfrac{4*3}{(4 + 3)^{2}}((4 + 3)^{2} - |AC|^{2}) ,

which after substituting A C = B D |AC| = |BD| and simplifying yields that

49 A C 2 = 12 ( 49 A C 2 ) A C 2 = 588 61 . 49*|AC|^{2} = 12(49 - |AC|^{2}) \Longrightarrow |AC|^{2} = \dfrac{588}{61}.

Now by the Cosine rule we have that

A C 2 = A B 2 + B C 2 2 A B B C cos ( B ) |AC|^{2} = |AB|^{2} + |BC|^{2} - 2|AB||BC|\cos(\angle B)

588 61 = 9 + 16 24 cos ( B ) \Longrightarrow \dfrac{588}{61} = 9 + 16 - 24\cos(\angle B)

cos ( B ) = 937 1464 B = arccos ( 937 1464 ) = 50.20 6 \Longrightarrow \cos(\angle B) = \dfrac{937}{1464} \Longrightarrow \angle B = \arccos(\dfrac{937}{1464}) = \boxed{50.206^{\circ}} to 3 decimal places.

Aakash Khandelwal
Aug 11, 2015

This is just a minor application of cosine rule. And please specify weather answers is to be given in degrees or radians Guiseppi Butel

In degrees.

Guiseppi Butel - 5 years, 10 months ago
汉卿 蔣
Feb 28, 2015

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