A circle of radius is centered at . Square has side length . Sides and are extended past to meet the circle at and , respectively. What is the area of the shaded region in the figure, which is bounded by , , and the minor arc connecting and ?

- A)
- B)
- C)
- D)
- E)
Answer
A
Key insight
Draw OD and OE to make a 30 degree slice of the circle. The slice is the shaded piece plus two thin triangles, OBD and OBE.
Solution
1. Put the square on a grid: , , , . The circle has radius .
2. Find . Side lies on the line . Going up that line until the distance from is : in right triangle , and , so . So . In the same way, .
3. Find the angle . Triangle has sides , , , so it is a -- triangle with the angle at : . By the same reasoning , so . Then
4. Draw and . They cut out a slice (sector) of the circle. The slice is made of three parts: the shaded region, triangle , and triangle .
5. Slice area. A slice is of the circle: .
6. Triangle . Its side runs along from height to height , so . The point is unit sideways from that line, so the height is . Area . Triangle is its mirror image, with the same area.
7. Shaded area = slice minus the two triangles:
The answer is .
Why this works
For a region with a curved edge, connect the circle's center to the ends of the arc. That makes a slice whose area is easy, and the rest of the slice is made of triangles. The lengths and give a -- triangle, which tells you both the slice angle and the length .
Alternative approach
Quick check with the choices. The shaded region is only part of the slice, so its area is less than . In (A), is negative, so (A) is less than . In (E), is positive, so (E) is too big. This rules out (E), which is what you get by adding the two thin triangles instead of taking them away.
The trap
Taking the slice and subtracting triangle ODE, then forgetting to add back the small triangle DBE, which gives pi/3 - 1.
Concise solution
Place at the origin with , , . Then is on the line and on the circle, so ; similarly .
In right triangle , the legs are and with hypotenuse , so . By the same token , so and .
Draw and . The sector is made of the shaded region plus triangles and .
- Sector: .
- Triangle : base on the line , and is at distance from that line, so area . Triangle is its mirror image with the same area.
Shaded area .
The answer is .
Review in the AoPS books
- Introduction to Geometry, Chapter 11: Circles
- Introduction to Geometry, Chapter 4: Perimeter and Area (§4.2)
- Introduction to Geometry, Chapter 19: Problem Solving Strategies in Geometry (§19.1)
- Introduction to Geometry, Chapter 12: Circles and Angles
Techniques
Add construction lines/points (drop altitudes, extend segments, connect centers) · Cut the figure into known shapes (triangles, rectangles, sectors)