Sofia cuts a piece of felt in the shape of a kite for an art project. The top two sides measure 20 cm each and the bottom two sides measure 13 cm each. One diagonal, [tex]\overline{EG}[/tex], measures 24 cm. What is the length of the other diagonal, [tex]\overline{DF}[/tex]?

A. 5 cm
B. 16 cm
C. 21 cm
D. 32 cm



Answer :

To solve the problem of finding the length of the second diagonal [tex]\(\overline{DF}\)[/tex] of the kite, we need to use the properties and formulas related to kites. Let's go through the steps in detail:

1. Recognize the Structure of the Kite:
- A kite has two pairs of adjacent sides that are of equal length.
- In this case, the top two sides each measure 20 cm and the bottom two sides each measure 13 cm.
- One diagonal, [tex]\(\overline{EG}\)[/tex], measures 24 cm.

2. Divide the Kite into Two Triangles:
- We can divide the kite into two triangles by considering the diagonals [tex]\(\overline{EG}\)[/tex] and [tex]\(\overline{DF}\)[/tex]. The diagonals intersect at right angles and form two right triangles.

3. Calculate the Areas of the Triangles:
- The area of the kite can be calculated as the sum of the areas of the two triangles formed by the diagonals.
- To find the area of the kite, we use Heron's formula to calculate the areas of these triangles.

4. Use Heron's Formula:
- The area of a triangle with sides [tex]\(a\)[/tex], [tex]\(b\)[/tex], and [tex]\(c\)[/tex] can be calculated using Heron's formula:
[tex]\[ \text{Area} = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)} \][/tex]
where [tex]\(s\)[/tex] is the semi-perimeter given by:
[tex]\[ s = \frac{a + b + c}{2} \][/tex]

5. Area Calculation for the First Triangle (with sides 20 cm, 20 cm, and [tex]\(\overline{EG}/2\)[/tex] = 12 cm):
[tex]\[ s_1 = \frac{20 + 20 + 12}{2} = 26 \text{ cm} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Area}_1 = \sqrt{26 \cdot (26 - 20) \cdot (26 - 20) \cdot (26 - 12)} = \sqrt{26 \cdot 6 \cdot 6 \cdot 14} = 120 \text{ square cm} \][/tex]

6. Area Calculation for the Second Triangle (with sides 13 cm, 13 cm, and [tex]\(\overline{EG}/2\)[/tex] = 12 cm):
[tex]\[ s_2 = \frac{13 + 13 + 12}{2} = 19 \text{ cm} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Area}_2 = \sqrt{19 \cdot (19 - 13) \cdot (19 - 13) \cdot (19 - 12)} = \sqrt{19 \cdot 6 \cdot 6 \cdot 7} = 64 \text{ square cm} \][/tex]

7. Total Area of the Kite:
[tex]\[ \text{Total Area} = \text{Area}_1 + \text{Area}_2 = 120 + 64 = 184 \text{ square cm} \][/tex]

8. Calculate the Length of the Other Diagonal [tex]\(\overline{DF}\)[/tex]:
- The area of the kite can also be expressed as the product of its diagonals divided by 2:
[tex]\[ \text{Total Area} = \frac{\overline{EG} \times \overline{DF}}{2} \][/tex]
Solving for [tex]\(\overline{DF}\)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ 184 = \frac{24 \times \overline{DF}}{2} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ 184 = 12 \times \overline{DF} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \overline{DF} = \frac{184}{12} = 15.33 \text{ cm (approximately)} \][/tex]

Based on the calculations, the length of the other diagonal, [tex]\(\overline{DF}\)[/tex], is approximately 15.33 cm. The closest option to this length is:

21 cm

However, option 21 cm is rather an error in options and the correct length should be 15.33 cm (approximately) which doesn’t appear in the given options we arrived at.