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3 pieces: each piece is \frac13 of the total area
4 pieces: each piece is \frac14 of the total area
5 pieces: each piece is \frac15 of the total area
m pieces: each piece is \frac1m of the total area
Why?
Red, orange and yellow
The top half is made of 3 semicircles on top of each other:
Say the smallest semicircle has radius 1, the medium semicircle has radius 2 and the largest has radius 3
Smallest semicircle has area \frac12\pi\times1^2 = \frac{\pi}2
Medium semicircle has area \frac12\pi\times2^2 = 2\pi
Largest semicircle has area \frac12\pi\times3^2 = \frac{9\pi}2
Whole circle has area 9\pi
Red area: smallest + (largest - medium) =\frac{\pi}2 + \frac{9\pi}2 - 2\pi = 3\pi which is \frac13 of 9\pi
Yellow area is equal to red area so the orange area must also be \frac13 of the total.
Red, orange, yellow and green
Include also extra large semicircle (XL), area \frac12\pi\times4^2 = 8\pi
Whole circle has area 16\pi
Red area: smallest + (XL - large) = \frac{\pi}2 + 8\pi - \frac{9\pi}2 = 4\pi which is \frac14 of 16\pi
Orange area: (medium - smallest) + (large - medium) = large - smallest = \frac{9\pi}2 - \frac{\pi}2 = 4\pi
So each piece is \frac14 of the total area.
Red, orange, yellow, green and blue
XXL semicircle area \frac12\pi\times5^2 = \frac{25\pi}2
Whole circle has area 25\pi
Red area: smallest + (XXL - XL) =\frac{\pi}2 + \frac{25\pi}2 - 8\pi = 5\pi which is \frac15 of the total area
Orange area: (medium - smallest) + (XL - large) = 2\pi - \frac{\pi}2 + 8\pi - \frac{9\pi}2 = 5\pi, also \frac15 of the total area
Yellow area: (large - medium)\times2 = \left(\frac{9\pi}2 - 2\pi\right)\times2 = 5\pi
So each piece is \frac15 of the total area.
m pieces
Largest piece has area \frac{m^2\pi}2 and whole circle has area m^2\pi
'Red' piece:
\begin{align}\frac{\pi}2 + \frac{m^2\pi}2 - \frac{(m-1)^2\pi}2 &= \tfrac{\pi}2\left(1+m^2 -(m^1-2m+1\right) \\ &= m\pi\end{align}
'Orange' piece:
\begin{align} \left(2\pi - \frac{\pi}2\right) + \left(\frac{(m-1)^2\pi}2 - \frac{(m-2)^2\pi}2\right) &= \frac{\pi}2\left(4-1+\left(m^2-2m+1\right)-\left(m^2-4m+4\right)\right)\\ &= \tfrac{\pi}2\left(4m-2m\right)\\&=m\pi\end{align}
General piece:
\left(\frac{(r+1)^2\pi}2 - \frac{r^2\pi}2\right) + \left(\frac{(m-r)^2\pi}2 - \frac{(m-(r+1))^2\pi}2\right) \\
\begin{align} &= \tfrac{\pi}2\left((r+1)^2-r^2+\left(m^2-2mr+r^2\right)-\left(m^2-2m(r+1)+(r+1)^2\right)\right)\\
&= \tfrac{\pi}2\left(2m(r+1)-2mr\right)\\&=m\pi\end{align}
\therefore all of the pieces have the same area, \frac1m of the total.
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.