Hi All,
We're told that a rectangle with sides of 5 and 12 is inscribed in the circle. We're asked for the area of the circular region. This question is based on a number of math patterns that can help you to save time answering the question.
First, any square or rectangle that is inscribed in a circle will have a diagonal that IS the diameter of the circle. Second, when splitting a rectangle or square across its diagonal, you'll form two right triangles. With the given side lengths of the rectangle (5 and 12), we have a 5/12/13 right triangle, so we know the diameter of the circle is 13. The radius is half the diameter... radius = 6.5
Area of a circle = (Ï€)(R^2) = (Ï€)(6.5^2)
At this point, you don't actually have to calculate the value. Since 6^2 = 36 and 7^2 = 49, we know the correct answer has to be between 36Ï€ and 49Ï€. There's only one answer that fits...
Final Answer: B
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich