Donate SIGN UP

Three Overlapping Circles

Avatar Image
kuiperbelt | 13:29 Sat 25th Mar 2023 | Science
18 Answers
The diagram (see link below) shows 3 identical circles, each with radius 6cm.
The centre of each circle is represented by A, B and C respectively, such that points ABC form a straight line. Calculate the blue shaded area giving your answer in terms of π

https://ibb.co/tz8DDVL

Gravatar

Answers

1 to 18 of 18rss feed

Avatar Image
NB this approach is slightly different to the video presented by TCL. Modifying your diagram in an attempt to make the question visually more palatable. See links below. Blue shaded Area = Area of Circle B minus 4 x Sector Area (FIG 2) minus 4 x Segment Area (FIG 1) cm² Note Segment Area = Sector Area minus Equilateral Triangle Area (FIG 3)/(FIG 4) cm² In terms of π...
13:29 Mon 27th Mar 2023
Fairly straightforward I think if I had the time. Start like this- draw an equalateral triangle with the base the line from A to B and going up to the intersexion of the left and central circle, lets call it D
The triangles sides will be 3cm so you can find its area.
Your also able to work out area of the cakeshaped piece ABD- pie x radius (3cmb )square'd , divide by 6 as its a six'th of a circle.

Thats getting us well on the way, see if your neighbour/nephew can finish it as I;m worn out now!
Takes me back to nightschool days -enjoyed them but not sure I ever use'd it untill today!
Easier, I think, to work out the area of one of the segments formed by drawing a vertical straight line between the two crossing points of both circles. All four are the same size, and there's a standard formula to find their area -- which, if you don't know it, can also be derived by subtracting the area of a triangle from the area of a sector.

As it asks for the answer in terms of pi, I'll quote my answer numerically, and you can then check against that -- or I can come back to offer more hints/details.

Specifically, the shaded area, I think, comes to 21.8% of the total area of any one circle.
oh and looks like theres another (upside down) equalateral triangle 3x3x3 from B to where the where the 2 circles cross.
That gives enough to find the blue bit at the top. Then double it for your answer!
I'm too tired to follow bobbinwales' method but my guess is that it will work nicely too. Depends on what you spot first :)
crossed posts there clare. I got no calculator or pen and paper on me now so will stop there but am hopefully going to return when I get chance
I hate joining in on these questions, it tests my memory for starters. I believe the angle at the centre that marks out the arc say from left circle is 120 degrees. Using the formula for area of a sector I make that 120/360 x 36π which simplifies to 12π.
The right hand one that overlaps the central circle will therefore also be 12π and those 2 together make 24π
As the are of the central circle is 6x6xπ = 36π
So blue bit is 36π - 24π = also 12π

If someone is going to point out some schoolgirl error or ludicrous assumptions by me please do it with some thoughtfulness.
This link includes a video explaining how to calculate the answer.

https://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2022/05/26/impossible-gcse-overlapping-circles-question/
And now I've looked at TCL's link I can see my own stupid assumption thanks. They are not sectors :-(
just realised mines right except the equilateral triangle sides are 6 not 3 and the radius in the cake shaped sectors is 6 not 3. Must of read it as diameter of 6 . oops
to do these you really need to have several copies of the diagram to scribble on.
Looks like the video finds bobbinwales' solution. I do think the "four segments" method has the advantage of far fewer intermediate steps, though, now that I've seen what was going on.
NB this approach is slightly different to the video presented by TCL.

Modifying your diagram in an attempt to make the question visually more palatable. See links below.

Blue shaded Area =
Area of Circle B minus 4 x Sector Area (FIG 2) minus 4 x Segment Area (FIG 1) cm²

Note Segment Area =
Sector Area minus Equilateral Triangle Area (FIG 3)/(FIG 4) cm²

In terms of π the Blue Shaded Area = 12π - (24π - 36√3) cm²


FIG 1 https://ibb.co/NmLS1hk

FIG 2 https://ibb.co/YcJmx4Y

FIG 3 https://ibb.co/DrKGtFN

FIG 4 https://ibb.co/ggC0WmS
Consider the lower half of the blue-shaded area. This consists of an equilateral triangle BXY plus a segment outside side XY less 2 equally sized segments 'bitten out' of sides BX and BY. The lower shaded area is therefore
(Triangle area) + (Segment area) - 2 x (Segment area)
= (Triangle area) - (Segment area) .... (1)

The area of one of the segments is given by the area of the sector of the circle centred on B minus the area of the equilateral triangle, so
(Segment area) = (Sector area) - (Triangle area)

Substituting for (Segment area) in equation (1) gives
(Half shaded area) = 2 x (Triangle area) - (Sector area)
doubling this to get the whole shaded area gives
(Shaded area) = 4 x (Triangle area) - 2 x (Sector area) ..... (2)

A bit of Pythagoras shows that the height of the triangle is 3√3. The base of the triangle is 6. So
(Triangle area) = (6/2).3√3 = 9√3

The sector is a sixth of the area of a complete circle of radius 6 so
(Sector area) = (π.6²)/6 = 6π

Substituting for (Triangle area) and (Sector area) in equation (2) gives
(Shaded area) = 4 x 9√3 - 2 x 6π
= 36√3 - 12π
I forgot to add the link to this diagram:
https://ibb.co/vqSnL7f
The more I see these different solutions the more I prefer my segment method, because it seems to be the cleanest. Although possibly that's bias, and perhaps the other methods in the end just repeatedly apply the formula for different segments without necessarily saying so.

The area of a segment is generally given (for angles θ in radians) by

A = (1/2) r^2 (θ - sin θ)

where θ is the angle between the two radii bounding the segment. As with all other solutions, you still need to spot an equilateral triangle or two in order to realise that θ = 120 degrees = 2π/3 radians, but once that's done you have just

A = (1/2) r^2 ( 2π/3 - sin (2π/3))

then there are four equal segments, so multiply this by four and subtract from the area of any one circle. The total blue area B is then given by

B = πr^2 - 4A = r^2 (π - 4π/3 + 2sin (2π/3)) = r^2 (π - 4π/3 + 2(√3/2)) = r^2 (√3 - π/3)

for r = 6cm.

Eh, maybe it's much of a muchness in the end.
Question Author
ABers FYI, my student neighbour, (step) nephew and grandson all have viewing access to Answerbank therefore they can look at ABers replies, but they are not members so they cannot write their own
posts (so I will continue to post on their behalf).

They all acknowledge there is a wealth of knowledge amongst
AB members and very grateful to you all!! Student neighbour also thinks we are all a bunch of moaning old folk LOL As if?? LOL

My grandson (doing GCSEs) wants to award BA to Zebu (the diagrams were the clincher) even though he forgot to expand the brackets by the minus sign, this would have resulted in the
final answer which has been provided by Etch!!
Tch, it just goes to show that because people think maths is "complicated" they prefer complicated answers, with lots of diagrams.

1 to 18 of 18rss feed

Do you know the answer?

Three Overlapping Circles

Answer Question >>