The area is almost whole.

Geometry Level 5

Two circles of radius 5 are separated by 1 unit. The shaded area is almost a whole number, but is actually slightly less than a whole number.

If A A is the actual area then the error ϵ = A A \epsilon = \lceil A \rceil - A .

It turns out 1 ϵ \frac{1}{\epsilon} itself is very close to a whole number. Enter this whole number.

You might start with the inspiration for this problem.


The answer is 30.

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4 solutions

Chew-Seong Cheong
Sep 19, 2018

Consider the first quadrants of the two circles. Let A A and B B be the centers of the two circles, therefore, A B = 1 AB=1 , and A C = 5 AC=5 and B D = 5 BD=5 be their radius on the x x -axis. Point P P is where the two circles intersect and O O be the mid-point of A B AB . By symmetry, O P OP is perpendicular to A B AB .

The shaded area [ P C D ] [PCD] ( [ ] [\cdot] denotes the area) is given by:

[ P C D ] = [ O P D ] [ O P C ] = [ B P D ] + [ O P B ] ( [ A P C ] [ O P A ] ) = 5 2 ( π + θ ) 2 + 5 2 sin θ cos θ 2 5 2 ( π θ ) 2 + 5 2 sin θ cos θ 2 = 25 ( θ + sin θ cos θ ) Note that sin θ = 1 2 5 = 0.1 = 25 ( sin 1 0.1 + 0.1 1 0. 1 2 ) A = 4 × 25 ( sin 1 0.1 + 0.1 1 0. 1 2 ) 19.967 ϵ = A A 20 19.967 = 0.033 1 ϵ = 1 0.033 30 \begin{aligned} [PCD] & = {\color{#3D99F6} [OPD]} - \color{#D61F06} [OPC] \\ & = {\color{#3D99F6} [BPD]+[OPB]} - \color{#D61F06} ([APC]-[OPA]) \\ & = \frac {5^2(\pi + \theta)}2 + \frac {5^2\sin \theta \cos \theta}2 - \frac {5^2(\pi - \theta)}2 + \frac {5^2\sin \theta \cos \theta}2 \\ & = 25(\theta + \sin \theta \cos \theta) & \small \color{#3D99F6} \text{Note that } \sin \theta = \frac {\frac 12}5 = 0.1 \\ & = 25\left(\sin^{-1} 0.1 + 0.1 \sqrt{1-0.1^2}\right) \\ \implies A & = 4\times 25\left(\sin^{-1} 0.1 + 0.1 \sqrt{1-0.1^2}\right) \approx 19.967 \\ \epsilon & = \lceil A \rceil - A \approx 20 - 19.967 = 0.033 \\ \implies \frac 1\epsilon & = \frac 1{0.033} \approx \boxed{30} \end{aligned}

pi/2 instead of pi, but the end result is the same

Mykola Ivanchenko - 2 years, 8 months ago

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and thanks for brilliant solution

Mykola Ivanchenko - 2 years, 8 months ago
Steven Chase
Sep 17, 2018

I'll commit a venial sin and post a calculus solution to a geometry problem. Say R = 5 R = 5 and D = 1 D = 1 . The two circles are:

x 2 + y 2 = R 2 ( x D ) 2 + y 2 = R 2 y 1 = R 2 x 2 y 2 = R 2 ( x D ) 2 \large{x^2 + y^2 = R^2 \\ (x-D)^2 + y^2 = R^2 \\ y_1 = \sqrt{R^2 - x^2} \\ y_2 = \sqrt{R^2 - (x-D)^2}}

It is fairly easy to determine that the intersection between the two circles occurs at x = D 2 x = \frac{D}{2} . Half of the shaded area is therefore equal to:

A 2 = D / 2 R 2 ( y 2 y 1 ) d x + R R + D 2 y 2 d x \large{\frac{A}{2} = \int_{D/2}^R \, 2 (y_2 - y_1) \, dx + \int_R^{R + D} \, 2 \, y_2 \, dx}

This yields:

A 19.9666165 1 ϵ 29.9549 \large{A \approx 19.9666165 \\ \frac{1}{\epsilon} \approx 29.9549}

That is my method also, approximation makes me feel unsure about the answer...

Kelvin Hong - 2 years, 8 months ago

It's a correct solution with a valid process, and for me, that is no mathematical sin. I tried for a while to reason out the geometric argument on paper, and I just couldn't get it to where I needed it to be. I finally threw the circle equations into Desmos graphing calculator, and the tool did enough low-level stuff for me that I could reason my way through the high-level stuff. Generally, I feel satisfied having discovered the correct answer, as long as my method was sound.

Michael McGinnis - 2 years, 8 months ago
Jeremy Galvagni
Sep 17, 2018

Below is a picture showing the centers of the circles and the place where the regions almost overlap. It is turned sideways from the original drawing above. The centers of the circles are A A and B B so A B = 1 AB=1 and A D = 5 AD=5

The error is the area of four copies a little almost-triangle C E D CED but with two curved sides. The area of this triangle can found by taking rectangle A B C D ABCD and subtracting triangle A E B AEB and the two sectors C B E CBE and D A E DAE .

A B = 1 , A D = 5 AB=1, AD=5 so the area of rectangle A B C D ABCD is 5 5

E F EF is the leg of triangle A F E AFE . 0. 5 2 + E F 2 = 5 2 0.5^{2}+EF^{2}=5^{2} so E F = 3 2 11 EF=\frac{3}{2}\sqrt{11} . Area of triangle A E B = 3 4 11 AEB=\frac{3}{4}\cdot \sqrt{11}

The sectors have central angle sin 1 ( 1 / 10 ) \sin ^{-1} (1/10) and so each has an area π 5 2 sin 1 ( 1 / 10 ) 36 0 \pi \cdot 5^{2} \cdot \frac{\sin ^{-1} (1/10)}{360^{\circ}}

So the area of the one almost-triangle is

5 2 π 25 sin 1 ( 1 / 10 ) 36 0 3 4 11 0.0083458782 5 - 2\cdot \pi \cdot 25 \cdot \frac{\sin ^{-1}(1/10)}{360^{\circ}}-\frac{3}{4} \cdot \sqrt{11} \approx 0.0083458782

The error is four of these so ϵ = 0.0333835128 \epsilon = 0.0333835128 and 1 ϵ = 29.95490636 \frac{1}{\epsilon}=29.95490636 which is very close to the whole number 30 \boxed{30}

Thanks for posting this. It let me revisit my work on the previous problem and realize I made the mistake of ( 5 cos θ ) 2 = 25 2 cos θ + cos 2 θ (5-\cos\theta)^2 = 25 - {\color{#D61F06}2}\cos\theta + \cos^2\theta which turns out multiplying the error by about 57 57 times @_@. Nice problem.

Brian Moehring - 2 years, 8 months ago

T o t a l a r e a o f t w o b l u e r e g i o n = 2 { S e g m e n t ( A P B ) S e g m e n t ( A Q B ) } = 2 { ( π 2 C o s 1 ( . 1 ) ) 25 + 24.75 } = 19.9666..... 20. ϵ = 20 19.9666.... 1 ϵ = 29.9549. T h e r e q u i r e d a n s w e r = 30. Total~~ area~~ of~~ two~~ blue~~ region\\ =2*\{Segment(APB)~-~Segment(AQB)\} \\ =2*\{(\pi-2*Cos^{-1} (.1))*25+\sqrt{24.75}\}=19.9666.....\approx 20.\\ \therefore~\epsilon=20 - 19.9666....\\ \dfrac 1 \epsilon=29.9549.\\ The~ required~ answer=\Huge~~\color{#D61F06}{30}.

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