A square is inscribed in a circle of radius . Show that the ratio of the area of the square to the area of the circle is equal to .
To show the ratio of the area of the inscribed square to the area of the circle, we first determine the dimensions of the square. When a square is inscribed in a circle of radius , the diagonal of the square passes through the centre of the circle. Therefore, the diagonal of the square is equal to the diameter of the circle, which is .
Let the side of the square be . Using the Pythagorean theorem, the relationship between the side and the diagonal of a square is:
Substituting the diagonal as , we get:
Solving for , we find:
Since the area of the square is , it equals .
From the provided context, we know the area of the circle is .
Now, we find the ratio of the area of the square to the area of the circle:
Finally, calculating the decimal value of this ratio, we get:
Thus, the ratio of the area of the square to the area of the circle is equal to .
Explanation
The question requires proving the ratio of the area of an inscribed square to the area of a circle. The key insight is recognizing that the diagonal of the inscribed square equals the diameter of the circle (). Using the Pythagorean theorem, the area of the square is found to be . The context provides the formula for the area of the circle as . Dividing the two areas and cancelling out yields the ratio , which approximates to .
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify that the diagonal of the inscribed square equals the diameter of the circle, which is .
Step 2: Let the side of the square be . Using the Pythagorean theorem, , which simplifies to .
Step 3: Solve for the area of the square (), which gives .
Step 4: State the area of the circle from context, which is .
Step 5: Calculate the ratio: .