What is the side of the square?
A hard-level "Length" problem.If the legs are a and b, the inscribed square's side is always a×b÷(a+b). Here 10×15÷25 = 6.
Hints
- Call the top-right corner of the square Q. Look carefully: Q sits exactly on the hypotenuse. That is the clue.
- A small right triangle appears above the square. Let's focus on this blue triangle.
- The blue triangle and the original big one share the right angle and the top angle. All angles match, so they are similar.
- The original triangle is 10 cm tall and 15 cm wide: height : width = 10 : 15 = 2 : 3. Being similar, the blue one has the same ratio.
- The blue triangle's height is 10 cm minus the square, i.e. (10 − ?), and its width is the square's side, ?.
- Writing it as a ratio. Multiply the height side by 3 and the width side by 2.
- Tidying up: 5 lots of ? make 30. Now just divide.
Answer 6cm
More "Length" problems
- a + b + c = ?
- How long is MN?
- How long is the rope?
- How long is the pole's shadow?
- How deep was the water?
- How far does the centre travel?