How to find the length of a radius - PSAT Math

Card 1 of 70

0
Didn't Know
Knew It
0
1 of 2019 left
Question

In a large field, a circle with an area of 144_π_ square meters is drawn out. Starting at the center of the circle, a groundskeeper mows in a straight line to the circle's edge. He then turns and mows ¼ of the way around the circle before turning again and mowing another straight line back to the center. What is the length, in meters, of the path the groundskeeper mowed?

Tap to reveal answer

Answer

Circles have an area of πr_2, where r is the radius. If this circle has an area of 144_π, then you can solve for the radius:

πr_2 = 144_π

r 2 = 144

r =12

When the groundskeeper goes from the center of the circle to the edge, he's creating a radius, which is 12 meters.

When he travels ¼ of the way around the circle, he's traveling ¼ of the circle's circumference. A circumference is 2_πr_. For this circle, that's 24_π_ meters. One-fourth of that is 6_π_ meters.

Finally, when he goes back to the center, he's creating another radius, which is 12 meters.

In all, that's 12 meters + 6_π_ meters + 12 meters, for a total of 24 + 6_π_ meters.

← Didn't Know|Knew It →