# Area problem

#### vabamyyr

i started to work on a problem. A point on a plane is away from 3 sequential tips
of rectangular respectively 3, 4, 5 units. Find the area of rectangular. I have an image.

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#### robphy

Homework Helper
Gold Member
Did you mix up alpha and beta? (check the angles in the equations)

#### vabamyyr

on the image alfa and beta were mixed up but corrected now

#### boteet

Hello, I am linguist teacher, I am sorry for posting in your thread, because I really don't know how to start a thread, I have got a problem in math class, i take it as my second degree, very basic but i don't know how to solve it
I have a big square with one point(x,y) inside it, i have tow other small rectangles, with a given width (B), the two rectangles are drawn, divided with lines, into very small squares, then I put one head of one rectanguler into the square at one edge of the square, and the other rectangler is done the same but from the opposite edge, such that the point is on the line from rectanguler to other rectaguler.
But not all rectangler width is inside the square. If i know how many the very small squares in the 2 rectagulers are inside the big square, How can i find the centroid of the big square ?
Thanks a bunch

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#### boteet

can someone help me please ?

#### rachmaninoff

vabamyyr said:
i started to work on a problem. A point on a plane is away from 3 sequential tips...
To find the area, it would be enough to find the lengths of DC and CB, wouldn't it?

You're familiar with the theorem of cosines:

You know EC, EB, and α - can you find CB?
You know @, #, and (α + β) - can you find DC?

alfa and beta
Neat spelling of α - is that Estonian?

#### vabamyyr

i dont know alfa

#### rachmaninoff

If you don't know the angles, then the area is not uniquely specified. This is clear if you try to shift point E downwards, while preserving the three known lengths - both the rectangle's sides increase, and so the area increases. Thus the area would not be uniquely specified.

#### vabamyyr

u have a rectangle and u can find a point which satisfies this condition. I wouldnt say that the area isn`t uniquely specified otherwise why would this task be in a book. And answer should be 12

#### rachmaninoff

A clear example:
(ED=3, EC=4, EB=5)

D----E------C

A------------B

compare to:

E

D------------C
A----------- B

Thus, ED, EC, and EB do not uniquely specify an area for ADCB; you need alfa and beta also.

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#### vabamyyr

any other ideas, i hate to think that this task cannot be done

#### rachmaninoff

It's not the answer you're looking for;

Area = (DC) * (CB)
$$=\left( 3^2+4^2-2 \cdot 3 \cdot 4 \cdot \cos (\alpha + \beta) \right) \left( 4^2+5^2-2 \cdot 4 \cdot 5 \cdot \cos (\alpha) \right)$$
=...

As you see, it's dependent on both "alfa" and beta.

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