1967 AMC 12 Problem 33

Attempt Problem 33 of the 1967 AMC 12 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1967 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

33.

In this diagram semi-circles are constructed on diameters AB,AB, AC,AC, and CB,CB, so that they are mutually tangent. If CD⊥AB,CD\perp AB, then the ratio of the shaded area to the area of a circle with CDCD as radius is:
1:21:2
1:31:3
3:7\sqrt3:7
1:41:4
2:6\sqrt2:6
Answer: D
Concepts:circle arearight trianglearea ratio
Small hint:
Subtract the two small semicircle areas from the large one
Big hint:
In right triangle ADB,ADB, the altitude theorem gives CD2=AC⋅CBCD^2=AC\cdot CB
Solution:
Let AC=uAC=u and CB=v.CB=v. The shaded area is the large semicircle minus the two smaller ones: π8((u+v)2−u2−v2)=πuv4. \frac{\pi}{8}\bigl((u+v)^2-u^2-v^2\bigr) =\frac{\pi uv}{4}. Since DD lies on the semicircle with diameter AB,AB, triangle ADBADB is right, and its altitude satisfies CD2=uv.CD^2=uv. A circle of radius CDCD therefore has area πuv.\pi uv. The required ratio is 1:4.1:4.
Therefore, the correct answer is D.
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