Notes
subdivided hexagon iv solution

Solution to the Subdivided Hexagon IV Puzzle

Subdivided Hexagon IV

What fraction of this regular hexagon is shaded?

Solution by Area of a Triangle, Properties of a Regular Hexagon, Angles in Parallel Lines, Vertically Opposite Angles, and Similar Triangles

SubdividedHexagonIVLabelled.jpeg

With the diagram labelled as above, first consider triangle ADHA D H. From the properties of a regular hexagon, this has area one third of the outer hexagon. Triangle AGHA G H has area one twelfth of the outer hexagon, so triangle ADGA D G has area one quarter of the outer hexagon.

Since the lengths of ECE C and CBC B are in the ratio 2:12 : 1, so also the areas of triangles AECA E C and ACBA C B are in the same ratio.

Triangles ABCA B C and DECD E C are similar because their angles correspond, using angles in parallel lines and vertically opposite angles, and the length scale factor is 22, so triangle DECD E C has area four times that of ABCA B C.

Triangles FGEF G E and FABF A B are also similar also with length scale factor 22, so area scale factor 44, while triangles AGEA G E and FGEF G E are congruent, so have the same area. This means that triangle AEBA E B has area twice that of triangle AGEA G E.

Summarising, triangle ACEA C E has area twice that of triangle ABCA B C, so triangle AEBA E B has area three times it. Then triangle AGEA G E has area half of that, so area 32\frac{3}{2} times that of triangle ABCA B C. Triangle DCED C E has area four times that of triangle ABCA B C, so the total area of triangle AGDA G D is 2+32+4=1522 + \frac{3}{2} + 4 = \frac{15}{2} times that of triangle ABCA B C.

Since this is one quarter of the area of the hexagon, triangle ABCA B C has area one thirtieth of that of the hexagon. As a fraction of the full hexagon, the shaded region therefore has area:

130+430+32×130+112=2+8+3+560=1860=310 \frac{1}{30} + \frac{4}{30} + \frac{3}{2} \times \frac{1}{30} + \frac{1}{12} = \frac{2 + 8 + 3 + 5}{60} = \frac{18}{60} = \frac{3}{10}