It is currently 21 Apr 2018, 13:57

### GMAT Club Daily Prep

#### Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

# Events & Promotions

###### Events & Promotions in June
Open Detailed Calendar

# In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equi

Author Message
TAGS:

### Hide Tags

Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 44599
In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equi [#permalink]

### Show Tags

26 Sep 2017, 00:23
Expert's post
4
This post was
BOOKMARKED
00:00

Difficulty:

65% (hard)

Question Stats:

56% (01:58) correct 44% (02:10) wrong based on 41 sessions

### HideShow timer Statistics

In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equiangular, what fractional part of the rectangular region is shaded?

(A) 1/6
(B) 2/9
(C) 1/4
(D) 1/3
(E) 4/9

[Reveal] Spoiler:
Attachment:

2017-09-26_1117.png [ 4.23 KiB | Viewed 973 times ]
[Reveal] Spoiler: OA

_________________
BSchool Forum Moderator
Joined: 26 Feb 2016
Posts: 2431
Location: India
GPA: 3.12
In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equi [#permalink]

### Show Tags

26 Sep 2017, 04:51
2
This post was
BOOKMARKED
Attachment:

2017-09-26_1117.png [ 5.34 KiB | Viewed 706 times ]

Since the unshaded region is equilateral and equiangular,
the hexagon within the rectangle will have 6 equilateral triangles.
Each equilateral triangle will further contain two triangles of equal area.

These smaller triangles have an area equal to the shaded triangles,
because they have same base and height as the shaded triangles.

The hexagon itself will have 12 triangles(each of which has the same area as the shaded triangle)

There are a total of 16(12+4) smaller triangles of equal area within the rectangle and
the fractional part of the rectangular region which is shaded is $$\frac{4}{16} = \frac{1}{4}$$(Option C)
_________________

Stay hungry, Stay foolish

SC Moderator
Joined: 22 May 2016
Posts: 1546
Re: In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equi [#permalink]

### Show Tags

26 Sep 2017, 08:36
Bunuel wrote:

In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equiangular, what fractional part of the rectangular region is shaded?

(A) 1/6
(B) 2/9
(C) 1/4
(D) 1/3
(E) 4/9

[Reveal] Spoiler:
Attachment:
The attachment 2017-09-26_1117.png is no longer available

Attachment:

hexsquare.png [ 21.19 KiB | Viewed 654 times ]

Explaining this solution is a lot harder than deriving it.

1. SIX EQUILATERAL TRIANGLES IN THE HEXAGON

This regular hexagon (equal angles, equal sides) can be divided into 6 equilateral triangles

Diagram: each equilateral triangle has side 2x

2. EACH EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE DIVIDES INTO TWO CONGRUENT RIGHT TRIANGLES - see diagram, triangle on right

Equilateral triangles can be divided into 2 congruent right triangles 30-60-90 right triangles because:

--An equilateral triangle's median is also its angle bisector and perpendicular bisector

--One 60-degree vertex is bisected into a 30-degree angle in each right triangle

--The perpendicular bisector creates two 90-degree angles in each right triangle

-- Finally, the last vertex of the right triangle on both sides has measure of 60 degrees

SIDE RATIO OF 30-60-90 TRIANGLES

--30-60-90 triangles have sides in ratio $$x: x\sqrt{3}: 2x$$

3. HEXAGON HAS 12 CONGRUENT RIGHT TRIANGLES

There are 12 such identical triangles in the hexagon. SIX equilateral triangles * TWO right triangles each = 12 identical right triangles inside the hexagon

4. SHADED AREAS ARE IDENTICAL TO THE 12 RIGHT TRIANGLES INSIDE THE HEXAGON

The shaded areas (the corners of the rectangle) are congruent with all the right triangles inside the hexagon

Angles are congruent

--Each corner triangle is a 30-60-90 triangle - on diagram, see triangle ABC and the left side of the rectangle

-- 30- degree angle is on the straight line - see left side of rectangle

On that line, whose angles sum to 180, lies a 120-degree angle of a hexagon (or two 60-degree angles of the divided triangles)

180 - 60 - 60 = 60 degrees are left to be divided into two equal angles. On the line, each corner has a 30-degree angle

-- Each corner triangle has a 90-degree angle (by definition of rectangle)

-- Each corner triangle has a 60-degree angle - see left corner triangle, vertex C

Side lengths are equal

--Each corner triangle has exactly the same lengths as the 12 small triangles inside the hexagon: $$x, x\sqrt{3},$$ and $$2x$$ (see diagram)

12 triangles inside hexagon, 4 outside = 16 in rectangle. Four are shaded.

$$\frac{4}{16} = \frac{1}{4}$$

_________________

At the still point, there the dance is. -- T.S. Eliot
Formerly genxer123

Target Test Prep Representative
Affiliations: Target Test Prep
Joined: 04 Mar 2011
Posts: 2273
Re: In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equi [#permalink]

### Show Tags

29 Sep 2017, 10:17
Bunuel wrote:

In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equiangular, what fractional part of the rectangular region is shaded?

(A) 1/6
(B) 2/9
(C) 1/4
(D) 1/3
(E) 4/9

[Reveal] Spoiler:
Attachment:
2017-09-26_1117.png

Since the unshaded region is a hexagon and it is equilateral and equiangular, it must be a regular hexagon. We know that a regular hexagon is composed of six equilateral triangles. Note that the diagonal drawn inside the hexagon is equal to the length of the rectangle. Note, too, that twice the base of one of the six equilateral triangles is also twice a side of the hexagon. Furthermore, the width of the rectangle is twice the height of one of the six equilateral triangles.

Recall that the area of an equilateral triangle is (side^2*√3)/4 and the height is √3/2 of the base. Thus, if we let s = side of hexagon, then the area of the hexagon is 6 * (s^2*√3)/4 = 3s^2*√3/2 and the area of the rectangle is l * w = 2s * 2(√3s/2) = 2s^2*√3. Therefore, the area of the shaded region is 2s^2*√3 - 3s^2*√3/2 = s^2*√3(2 - 3/2) = s^2*√3(1/2) and the shaded region is:

(s^2*√3(1/2))/(2s^2*√3) = (1/2)/2 = ¼ of the rectangular region.

_________________

Jeffery Miller

GMAT Quant Self-Study Course
500+ lessons 3000+ practice problems 800+ HD solutions

Re: In the rectangle above, if the unshaded region is equilateral and equi   [#permalink] 29 Sep 2017, 10:17
Display posts from previous: Sort by