Bunuel
Tough and Tricky questions: Geometry.

For each of the three circles shown above, the diameter of the smaller circle is equal to the radius of the larger. If the radius of the largest circle is equal to 8 inches, what is the area of the shaded region in square inches?
A. 3π
B. 6π
C. 12π
D. 15π
E. 18π
Kudos for a correct solution.Attachment:
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OFFICIAL SOLUTION:(C) The first step is to understand the strategy. We have to find the area of the entire black circle and subtract from it the area of the smallest circle.
Since we know that the largest circle has a radius of 8, the black circle must have a radius of 4 and the smallest circle must have a radius of 2. The area of the smallest circle is equal to:
πr² = π2² = 4π.
Now, we want to find the area of the black circle:
πr² = π4² = 16π.
Finally, we subtract the smaller area from the area of the black circle to get 16π – 4π = 12π, or answer choice (C).