Geometry Problems with Solutions for Grade 12

Explore a collection of grade 12 geometry problems with detailed solutions designed to help you think critically and develop problem-solving skills. If a problem seems challenging, don’t give up too quickly—take your time, explore different approaches, and, if possible, collaborate with others. Group discussions can spark new ideas and enhance learning. Remember, the best way to grow is by tackling problems that initially seem difficult!

Problem 1

In the triangle ABC sides AB and CB have equal lengths and the measure of angle ABC is equal to 36. What is the measure of angle BOC where O is the center of the circle?

problem 1.

Solution:

Triangle ABC has two sides with equal length and therefore is an isosceles triangle with base AC. The measure of angle BAC is given by:

BAC=180362=72 Angle BOC is a central angle and BAC is an inscribed angle and both angles intercept the same arc; hence: Measure of BOC=2×Measure of BAC=144

Problem 2

Circles C1 and C2 have equal radii and are tangent to that same line L. Circle C3 is tangent to C1 and C2. x is the distance between the between the centers of C1 and C2. Find the distance h, from the center of C3 to line L, in terms of x and the radii of the three circles.

problem 2.

Solution:

Let R1,R2 and R3 be the radii of circles C1, C2 and C3 with R1=R2=R.

solution to problem 2.

Let C3O be the distance from C3 to the segment C1, C2. Hence h=C3O+R(I)

Apply Pythagoras' theorem applied to triangle C3 O C1 C3O2+(x2)2=(R+R3)2

which gives C3O=(R+R3)2(x2)2

Using (I), we obtain h=R+C3O=R+(R+R3)2(x2)2

Problem 3

All three circles are tangent to the same line and to each other. Circles C2 and C3 have equal radii. Find the radius of C2 if the radius of C1 is equal to 10 cm.

problem 2.

Solution:

Let r, R2, and R3 be the radii of circles C1, C2, and C3 respectively, with R2=R3=R.

solution to problem 2.

Pythagoras' theorem applied to triangle MC1C3 C1C32=MC32+MC12(I) Substitute: C1C3=r+R,MC3=R,MC1=Rr in (I) Expand, simplify and solve for R R=4r=40 cm

Problem 4

CD is parallel to AB and the measure of angle t is equal to 90. Find the area of the circle in terms of x.

problem 3.

Solution:

Angles BtA and CtD are vertical and therefore

BtA=90 Since BtA=90, AB is the diameter of the circle using the converse of Thales' theorem.

Since CD is parallel to AB Triangle BtA and triangle CtD are similar and hence the proportionality of the corresponding sides gives: 35=ABx Solve for the diameter AB AB=3x5 radius=AB2=3x10 area=π×radius2=π(3x10)2=0.09πx2

Problem 5

The shaded region below is the common area to four semicircles whose diameters are the sides of the square with side length 4x. Find the area of the shaded region in terms of x.

Intersection of four semi circles.

Solution:

Let us split the large square into four small squares as shown in the image.

Intersection of four semi circles - solution

Let us consider one small square, the bottom left one for example. The square below has a side length of 2x, which is half of the given square. Part of this square is shaded, while the other part is not shaded. Let us find the area of the non-shaded (white) part. The shaded part is a quarter of a disk (circle).

Quarter of  a circle inscribed in a square. Area of non-shaded region=area of the square - 1/4 of the area of the circle=(2x)214π(2x)2

If we go back to the given shape in problem 5, the total area of the non-shaded part is 8 times the non-shaded area in the image of the small square above, which is given by (2x)214π(2x)2.

The area A of the shaded part in the shape of problem 5 is given by: A=Total area of the large squareTotal non-shaded area =(4x)28[(2x)214π(2x)2] =16x2(π21)

Problem 6

A small circle od radius r and a large circle od radius R are concentric (have same center). The length of the chord tangent to the smaller circle is equal to 20 mm. What is the area of the ring (shaded area) between the two circles ?

problem 6.

Solution:

The right triangle in the image has a hypotenuse whose length is R, one side r and the second side half of the cord whose length is 20/2 mm.

solution to problem 7.

Use the Pythagorean theorem

R2=r2+102(I) The area A of the ring is found by suntracting the area of the small circle from that of the large circle: A=π(R2r2)(II) \] The first equation I gives R2r2=102=100 Substitute (II) to obatin the area of the ring A=100π \]

Problem 7

Find b, c and d so that the quadrilateral is a parallelogram with area equal to 80 square units.

problem 7.

Solution:

The area of a parallelogram may be calculated using the cross product of vectors AB and AD as follows: Area=|AB×AD| where AB and AD are 3-dimensional vectors with the z component equal to zero so that we can perform the cross product AB×AD.

Each vectors is calculated using the coordinates of the points defining the vector as follows: AB=2(2),b(2),00=4,b+2,0 AD=4(2),2(2),0=6,4,0 Computing the magnitude of the cross product: |4,b+2,0×6,4,0|=80 The determinant form of the cross product in three dimensions is: AB×AD=|ijk4b+20640| Expanding along the first row: =i|b+2040|j|4060|+k|4b+264| which gives AB×AD=(46b)k Taking the magnitude: |46b|=80 Solving for b: 46b=80or46b=80 b=383,b=14 Since point B(2,b) is in the first quadrant, we choose b=14. Since ABCD is a parallelogram, we have: AB=DC Thus, AB=4,16,0 DC=c4,d2,0 Equating corresponding components: c4=4,d2=16 Solving: c=8,d=18 Hence : b=14 , c=8 and d=18

Problem 8

A right triangle is shown below. Find the lengths x, y and z.

problem 8.

Solution:
There are 3 right triangles. Use the Pythagorean theorem to write an equation for each triangle: y2+z2=122(I) x2+z2=92(II) (y+x)2=122+92=225(III) Solve equation (III) by extracting the square root x+y=15 Subtract equation (II) form equation (I), we obtain: y2x2=12292=63(IV) Factor the left side of the above equation: (yx)(y+x)=63 Substitute x+y=15 in the above equation and simplify to obtain: yx=215 Solve the system made up of equations {x+y=15yx=215

to find x=275 and y=485

Use equation (I) to find z (485)2+z2=122 z2=122(485)2=129625 Hence z=365 The values of x,y and z are x=275,y=485,z=365

Problem 9

A rectangle is shown below. Find the length x.

problem 9.

Solution:

Split the given rectangle into 4 other rectangles as shown.

solution to problem 9.

Pythagoras' theorem applied to the top-left right triangle of side a and hypotenuse 4 gives: a2+c2=42(I) Pythagoras' theorem applied to the bottom-left right triangle gives: b2+c2=x2(II) Pythagoras' theorem applied to the bottom-right right triangle. b2+d2=52(III) Pythagoras' theorem applied to the top-right right triangle. a2+d2=62(IV) Subtracting equations (II) from (I) a2b2=42x2 Subtracting equations (III) from (IV) a2b2=6252 Substitute a2b2=42x2 in the above equation to obatin: 42x2=6252 Solve for x. x=5

Problem 10

The two circles below have equal radii of 4 units each and the distance between their centers is 6 units. Find the area of the shaded region (common region to the two circles).

problem 10.

Solution:

Because of the symmetry, the shaded region may be considered as made up of two equal (in area) regions. The area of the left half of the shaded region is given by the area of the sector BOC minus the area of the triangle BOC.

solution to problem 10
Since the distance between the centers is 6, the length of OM is given by: OM=6/2=3 BOM is a right triangle, hence cosBOM=OMOB=34 BOM=arccos(34) The area of sector BOC is: Area of sector BOC=12(2BOM)r2 The area of triangle BOC is: Area of triangle BOC=12sin(2BOM)r2 Thus, the area of the shaded region is: 2[12(2BOM)r212sin(2BOM)r2] Substitute BOM by arccos(34) and r=4 =(2arccos(34)sin(2arccos(34)))42 7.25 square units(rounded to 3 decimal places)