Geometric Fitting Problem: 3.5-Unit Triangle in 7-Unit Square

Area Calculations with Right Triangle Geometry

How many times does the triangle fit completely inside of the square?

3.53.53.53.53.53.5777

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Step-by-step video solution

Watch the teacher solve the problem with clear explanations
00:00 Determine how many times the triangle can fit into the square
00:04 Place the midpoint on each side
00:10 Each side equals 7 so half of this is 3.5
00:22 Connect each midpoint to its nearest neighbor
00:25 We observe 4 triangles, 1 in each corner
00:30 Draw a line from the middle of one side to the middle of its parallel side
00:38 Do the same thing with the second pair of sides
00:43 Maintain the central intersection point so that everything is 3.5
00:47 Divide the center of the square into triangles
00:50 Count the triangles
00:54 That's the solution

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution
1

Understand the problem

How many times does the triangle fit completely inside of the square?

3.53.53.53.53.53.5777

2

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we will find how many times a triangle can fit inside a square based on given dimensions:

  • Step 1: Compute the area of the larger square.
  • Step 2: Compute the area of the smaller square (side: 3.53.5) which forms the base and height of the triangle.
  • Step 3: Compute the area of the triangle using the area of the smaller square.
  • Step 4: Divide the area of the larger square by the area of the triangle to find how many triangles fit.

Now, let's proceed with these calculations:
Step 1: Area of the large square = 7×7=497 \times 7 = 49.
Step 2: Area of the smaller square = 3.5×3.5=12.253.5 \times 3.5 = 12.25.
Step 3: Since the triangle fits perfectly within this square, and is a right isosceles triangle, its area = 12×3.5×3.5=6.125\frac{1}{2} \times 3.5 \times 3.5 = 6.125.
Step 4: Dividing the area of the large square by the area of the triangle: 496.1258 \frac{49}{6.125} \approx 8.

Therefore, the large square can completely fit exactly 8 triangles inside it.

3

Final Answer

8

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic
  • Formula: Right triangle area equals half of base times height
  • Technique: Triangle area = 12×3.5×3.5=6.125 \frac{1}{2} \times 3.5 \times 3.5 = 6.125
  • Check: Divide total square area by triangle area: 496.125=8 \frac{49}{6.125} = 8

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors
  • Confusing triangle area with square area
    Don't use the full square area 12.25 as the triangle area = wrong answer of 4! A right triangle only takes up half the square it fits in. Always use 12×base×height \frac{1}{2} \times base \times height for triangle area.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Angle A is equal to 30°.
Angle B is equal to 60°.
Angle C is equal to 90°.

Can these angles form a triangle?

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why is the triangle area half of the 3.5 × 3.5 square?

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A right triangle fits perfectly in the corner of a square, taking up exactly half the square's area. The diagonal divides the square into two equal triangles!

How do I know the triangle is a right triangle?

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Looking at the diagram, you can see the triangle has a 90-degree corner where two sides meet at a right angle. This makes it a right triangle with equal legs of 3.5 units each.

What if the division doesn't come out to a whole number?

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If 496.125 \frac{49}{6.125} gave you a decimal like 7.8, you'd need to round down to 7 because you can only fit complete triangles inside the square.

Can I solve this without using areas?

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While area comparison is the most reliable method, you could try visual arrangement, but it's much trickier to be sure you're not overlapping shapes or leaving gaps.

Why can't I just divide the side lengths (7 ÷ 3.5 = 2)?

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Dividing side lengths only works for one dimension. Since we're fitting 2D shapes, you need to consider both length and width, which is exactly what area calculations do!

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