A right trapezoid has a circle inscribed inside it. The short base of the trapezoid is 12 inches, and the

long base of the trapezoid is 23 inches. The diameter of the circle is 5 inches. That is also the height
of the trapezoid. What is the probability that a random point placed in the figure is not inside the
circle?

1 answer

To find the probability that a random point placed in a right trapezoid (with an inscribed circle) is not inside the circle, we need to calculate the area of the trapezoid and the area of the circle.

  1. Calculate the area of the trapezoid: The area \( A \) of a trapezoid can be calculated using the formula:

    \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times (b_1 + b_2) \times h \]

    where \( b_1 \) and \( b_2 \) are the lengths of the two bases and \( h \) is the height. For this trapezoid:

    • \( b_1 = 12 \) inches (short base)
    • \( b_2 = 23 \) inches (long base)
    • \( h = 5 \) inches (height)

    Plugging in these values:

    \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times (12 + 23) \times 5 \]

    \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times 35 \times 5 \]

    \[ A = \frac{175}{2} = 87.5 \text{ square inches} \]

  2. Calculate the area of the circle: The area \( A \) of a circle is given by the formula:

    \[ A = \pi r^2 \]

    Given that the diameter of the circle is 5 inches, the radius \( r \) is:

    \[ r = \frac{5}{2} = 2.5 \text{ inches} \]

    Now, substituting for area:

    \[ A = \pi (2.5)^2 \]

    \[ A = \pi \times 6.25 = 6.25\pi \text{ square inches} \]

  3. Calculate the area not inside the circle: The area outside the circle (area of the trapezoid minus area of the circle) is:

    \[ A_{not , in , circle} = A_{trapezoid} - A_{circle} \]

    \[ A_{not , in , circle} = 87.5 - 6.25\pi \]

  4. Calculate the probability: The probability \( P \) that a random point placed in the trapezoid is not inside the circle is calculated as:

    \[ P = \frac{A_{not , in , circle}}{A_{trapezoid}} = \frac{87.5 - 6.25\pi}{87.5} \]

  5. Final result: Plugging in the approximate value of \( \pi \approx 3.14 \):

    \[ 6.25\pi \approx 6.25 \times 3.14 \approx 19.625 \]

    Therefore,

    \[ A_{not , in , circle} \approx 87.5 - 19.625 = 67.875 \]

    Finally, calculating the probability:

    \[ P \approx \frac{67.875}{87.5} \approx 0.774 \] or about \( 77.4% \).

Thus, the probability that a random point placed in the right trapezoid is not inside the circle is approximately \( \frac{67.875}{87.5} \) or \( \approx 0.774 \).