Notes
two squares and two equilateral triangles iii solution

Solution to the Two Squares and Two Equilateral Triangles III Puzzle

Two Squares and Two Equilateral Triangles III

If the small square has area 22, what’s the shaded area?

Note that as specified, the problem does not have a unique answer. The diagram implies that the right-hand vertices of the square and triangle are vertically in line and with that assumption then the problem is solvable.

Solution by Properties of Equilateral Triangles and Pythagoras' Theorem

Two squares and two equilateral triangles iii labelled

As the small square as area 22, its side length is 2\sqrt{2}. This is half the side length of the equilateral triangle, so its height is 3×2=6\sqrt{3} \times \sqrt{2} = \sqrt{6}. Therefore line segment ABA B has length 222 \sqrt{2} and BEB E has length 6+2\sqrt{6} + \sqrt{2}.

Applying Pythagoras' theorem to triangle ABEA B E shows that the length of AEA E is given by:

(6+2) 2+(22) 2=6+43+2+8=16+43 \sqrt{ (\sqrt{6} + \sqrt{2})^2 + (2\sqrt{2})^2 } = \sqrt{6 + 4\sqrt{3} + 2 + 8} = \sqrt{16 + 4 \sqrt{3}}

The large square therefore has area 16+4316 + 4 \sqrt{3}. The large equilateral triangle has area 34\frac{\sqrt{3}}{4} times this, so the yellow region has area:

(134)(16+43)=16+43433=13 \left(1 - \frac{\sqrt{3}}{4}\right)\left(16 + 4\sqrt{3}\right) = 16 + 4 \sqrt{3} - 4 \sqrt{3} - 3 = 13