12
Two identical circles intersect such that their centers and their two intersection points form a square with a side length of 1 cm. Calculate the area (in cm²) of the region common to both circles.
0:00
Solution: Step 1: Let the centers of the two circles be C1 and C2, and their intersection points be A and B. The problem states that C1, C2, A, B form a square of side 1 cm.
Step 2: In this square, the segments from the center of a circle to its intersection points (C1A, C1B, C2A, C2B) are radii. Since C1A = C1B = 1 cm, the radius of each circle (r) is 1 cm.
Step 3: The common area consists of two identical circular segments. Each segment is formed by a sector minus a triangle.
Step 4: Consider circle 1 (center C1). The common region within this circle is bounded by the chord AB. Since C1, A, C2, B form a square, ∠AC1B = 90°. This is the central angle for the sector C1AB.
Step 5: Calculate the area of sector C1AB:
Area(sector) = (∠AC1B / 360°) * πr² = (90°/360°) * π(1)² = π/4 cm².
Step 6: Calculate the area of triangle C1AB. Since ∠AC1B = 90° and C1A = C1B = 1 cm, it's a right-angled triangle.
Area(triangle) = 1/2 * base * height = 1/2 * C1A * C1B = 1/2 * 1 * 1 = 1/2 cm².
Step 7: The area of one circular segment (from circle 1) is:
Area(segment) = Area(sector C1AB) - Area(ΔC1AB) = π/4 - 1/2 cm².
Step 8: The total common area is the sum of two such identical segments (one from each circle).
Total common area = 2 * (π/4 - 1/2) = π/2 - 1 cm².