August 2018
Problem of the Month

What Fraction?
by Ed Southall

The large figure is a square.

Solution to the Problem:

James Alarie sent in the following solution:

I, mentally, superimposed an XY coordinate system and wrote the equations for the two internal lines:
Y = 2 * X
X + Y = 1

Solving for Y gives 2 / 3.

The area of the shaded triangle is:
base * height / 2

The base is 1 and the height was calculated as 2 / 3, so the area is:
1 * (2 / 3) / 2 = 1 / 3

The shaded area is 1/3 of the whole.

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Here is Sreeroopa Sankararaman's answer:

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Here is David Weston's answer:

Correctly solved by:

1. James Alarie	Flint, Michigan
2. Rob Miles	Northbrook, Illinois
3. Sreeroopa Sankararaman	Singapore, Singapore
4. Brijesh Dave	Mumbai City, Maharashtra, India
5. Kimberly Howe	Vienna, Virginia
6. Kelly Stubblefield	Mobile, Alabama
7. Carolyn Dewey	Edina, Minnesota
8. Ivy Joseph	Pune, Maharashtra, India

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher