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The diagram show four circles each of which touches the largest square and two adjacent circles. A second square has its vertices at the midpoints of the sides of the largest square and the central square has its vertices at the centres of the circles.
What is the ratio of the total shaded area to the area of the outer square?
If you liked this problem, here is an NRICH task which challenges you to use similar mathematical ideas.
A 1 metre cube has one face on the ground and one face against a wall. A 4 metre ladder leans against the wall and just touches the cube. How high is the top of the ladder above the ground?
Four rods are hinged at their ends to form a convex quadrilateral. Investigate the different shapes that the quadrilateral can take. Be patient this problem may be slow to load.