A rectangle with dimensions 100 cm by 150 cm is tilted so that one corner is 20 cm above a horizontal line, as shown. To the nearest centimetre, the height of vertex Z above the horizontal line is (100+x)cm. What is the value of x?
A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.
We enclose the given rectangle in a larger rectangle with horizontal and vertical sides so that the vertices of the smaller rectangle lie on the sides of the larger rectangle. We will also remove the units from the problem and deal with dimensionless quantities. Since VWYZ is a rectangle, then YW=ZV=100 and ZY=VW=150. Since △YCW is right-angled at C, by the Pythagorean Theorem, CW2=YW2−YC2=1002−202=10000−400=9600. Since CW>0, then CW=9600=1600⋅6=1600⋅6=406. The height of Z above the horizontal line is equal to the length of DC, which equals DY+YC which equals DY+20. Now △ZDY is right-angled at D and △YCW is right-angled at C. Also, ∠DYZ+∠ZYW+∠WYC=180∘, which means that ∠DYZ+∠WYC=90∘, since ∠ZYW=90∘. Since ∠CWY+∠WYC=90∘ as well (using the sum of the angles in △YCW), we obtain ∠DYZ=∠CWY, which tells us that △ZDY is similar to △YCW. Therefore, ZYDY=YWCW and so DY=YWZY⋅CW=100150⋅406=606. Finally, DC=DY+20=606+20≈166.97. Rounded to the nearest integer, DC is 167. Since the length of DC to the nearest integer is 100+x and this must equal 167, then x=67.
Source: Omni-MATH,
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