11/27/2016 CirclesAdInfinitum:nrich.maths.

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CirclesAdInfinitum
Stage:5ChallengeLevel:
ThankyouTomfromWolgarstonHighSchool,Hidayahwhodoesnotnameaschool,
HamishandJaredfromUlverstonVictoriaHighSchool,EduardofromTheBritishSchool,
Manila,JustinfromSkyviewHighSchool,Billings,MTUSAandFabianfromSabinoHigh
SchoolinTucson,Arizona,U.S.A.forsendingyourverygoodsolutionstothis
problem.Youalltackledtheprobleminasimilarway.
LetCbethecentreofthecentralcircle.
ThenPSisatangenttothiscircle.Then
triangleCSPisa306090triangleand,
giventhatCS=1cm,itfollowsthatPS=
\sqrt{3}cmandPC=2cm.Hencethe
heightofthelargestequilateraltriangleis3
cm.(PC+radiusof1cm.),theheightofthe
nextsizeequilateraltriangleis1cm.(PC
radiusof1cm.)andtheradiusofthenext
sizecircleis1/3cm.

Eachcircleisscaleddownbyalinearscale
factorof1/3andbyanareascalefactorof
1/9.

Thereisonecentralcircleandateach
stageafterthat3newcirclesareadded.
The'totalcircumference'isthesumofthe
circumferencesofallthecircles,givenby:

Totalcircumference=2\pi+3({2\pi\over3}+{2\pi\over9}+{2\pi\over27}+\ldots)
wherethedotsdenotethatthesumgoesonforever.Summingthisinfinitegeometric
seriesgives:\mbox{Totalcircumference}=2\pi+2\pi(1+{1\over3}+{1\over9}+{1\over
27}+\ldots)=2\pi+\frac{2\pi}{11/3}=5\piThe'totalarea'isthesumoftheareasofall
thecircles,givenby:

Totalarea=\pi+3({\pi\over9}+{\pi\over9^2}+{\pi\over9^3}+\ldots)
wherethedotsdenotethatthesumgoesonforever.Summingthisinfinitegeometric
seriesgives:\mbox{Totalarea}=\pi+{\pi\over3}(1+{1\over9}+{1\over9^2}+\ldots)=
\pi+\frac{\pi}{3(11/9)}=\frac{11\pi}{8}Clearly,thetotalofthecircumferencesgrows
fasterthanthetotaloftheareasbecausethescalefactor1/3isbiggerthanthescale
factor1/9.

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