2011 AMC 12B Problem 12

Attempt Problem 12 of the 2011 AMC 12B below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2011 AMC 12B solutions, or check the answer key.

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12.

A dart board is a regular octagon divided into regions as shown. Suppose that a dart thrown at the board is equally likely to land anywhere on the board. What is the probability that the dart lands within the center square?

212\dfrac{\sqrt{2}-1}{2}

14\dfrac{1}{4}

222\dfrac{2-\sqrt{2}}{2}

24\dfrac{\sqrt{2}}{4}

222-\sqrt{2}

Answer: A
Concepts:geometric probabilityarea decompositionregular polygon
Difficulty rating: 1480
Solution:

Assume the octagon has edge length 1.1. The four corner triangles are right isosceles with legs 22\dfrac{\sqrt2}{2} and area 14\dfrac14 each. The four rectangles are 11 by 22\dfrac{\sqrt2}{2} with area 22\dfrac{\sqrt2}{2} each, and the center square has area 1.1.

The total area is 414+422+1=2+22. 4\cdot\dfrac14+4\cdot\dfrac{\sqrt2}{2}+1=2+2\sqrt2. The probability of hitting the center square is 12+22=212. \dfrac{1}{2+2\sqrt2}=\dfrac{\sqrt2-1}{2}.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

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