Rhombus from area and one diagonal The area of a rhombus is 84 cm² and one diagonal measures 7 cm. Find the length of the other diagonal (in cm).
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A12
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B24
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C48
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D36
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ENone of these
Answer
Correct Answer: 24
Explanation
Introduction / Context:For a rhombus, area equals half the product of its diagonals. Thus, knowing the area and one diagonal allows us to directly compute the other diagonal using a simple algebraic rearrangement.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Area A = 84 cm²
- One diagonal d1 = 7 cm
- Unknown diagonal d2
Concept / Approach:Use A = (d1 * d2) / 2 ⇒ d2 = 2A / d1. Substitute the values to find d2 exactly.
Step-by-Step Solution:
d2 = (2 * 84) / 7 = 168 / 7 = 24 cmVerification / Alternative check:Check: (7 * 24)/2 = 84 cm², which matches the given area perfectly.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:12 and 36 halve or 1.5x the correct value; 48 doubles the right answer; only 24 satisfies A = (d1 * d2)/2.
Common Pitfalls:Confusing the rhombus area with the parallelogram area (b * h) is unnecessary here; the diagonal formula is the direct route.
Final Answer:24