The area of a triangle is defined as the total space that is enclosed by any particular triangle. The basic formula to find the area of a given triangle is $A = 1/2 × b × h$, where $b$ is the base and $h$ is the height of the given triangle. Here we have to find the side of triangle.
2011 AMC 10B-Problem 9 | Geometry
The area of $ \triangle EBD $ is one third of the area of $ \triangle ABC $. Segment is perpendicular to segment $ AB $. What is $ BD $?
![[asy] unitsize(10mm); defaultpen(linewidth(.8pt)+fontsize(10pt)); dotfactor=4; pair A=(0,0), B=(5,0), C=(1.8,2.4), D=(5-4sqrt(3)/3,0), E=(5-4sqrt(3)/3,sqrt(3)); pair[] ps={A,B,C,D,E}; draw(A--B--C--cycle); draw(E--D); draw(rightanglemark(E,D,B)); dot(ps); label("$A$",A,SW); label("$B$",B,SE); label("$C$",C,N); label("$D$",D,S); label("$E$",E,NE); label("$3$",midpoint(A--C),NW); label("$4$",midpoint(C--B),NE); label("$5$",midpoint(A--B),SW); [/asy]](https://latex.artofproblemsolving.com/9/5/3/953e7cbe2b2ee84c7c3ff7f6c642569bc2483c4e.png)
(A) \(\frac{4}{3}\)
(B) \(\sqrt{5}\)
(C) \(\frac{9}{4}\)
(D) \(\frac{4 \sqrt{3}}{3}\)
(E) \(\frac{5}{2}\)
Challenges and Thrills in Pre College Mathematics

Notice that here \(\triangle A B C\) and \(\triangle B D E\) are similar.
Therefore \(D E=\frac{3}{4} B D\)
Now we have to find the area.
We know this is \(=\frac{1}{2} \times\) base\(\times\) height.
Now using this formula can you find the area of \(\triangle A B C\) and \(\triangle B D E\) ?
Now \(\triangle A B C=\frac{1}{2} \times 3 \times 4=6\) and \(\triangle B D E=\frac{1}{2} \times D E \times B D=\frac{1}{2} * \frac{3}{4} \times B D \times B D=\frac{3}{8} B D^2\)
Again we know the area of \(\triangle B D E\) is one third of the area of \(\triangle A B C\).
Therefore, \(\frac{3}{8} B D^2=6 \times \frac{1}{3}\)
\(9 * B D^2=48), or, (B D^2=\frac{48}{9}), or, (B D^2=\frac{16}{3}\)
so, the answer is= \(B D=\frac{4 \sqrt{3}}{3}\)

In 2026, the following Cheenta students have been successful for Indian Statistical Institute's M.Stat Entrance. They ranked within the first 50 in the entire country in these entrances. I.S.I. M.Stat Entrance

In 2026, the following Cheenta students have been successful for Indian Statistical Institute's B.Stat Entrance and Chennai Mathematical Institute's B.Sc. Math Entrance. They ranked within the first 200 in the entire country in these entrances. Most of these students attended the problem solving workshops regularly, which happen 5 days every week. CMI B.Sc. Math Entrance […]

In 2025, 8 students from Cheenta Academy cracked the prestigious Regional Math Olympiad. In this post, we will share some of their success stories and learning strategies. The Regional Mathematics Olympiad (RMO) and the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO) are two most important mathematics contests in India.These two contests are for the students who are […]

Cheenta Academy proudly celebrates the success of 27 current and former students who qualified for the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM) 2025, advancing to the next stage — RMO. This accomplishment highlights their perseverance and Cheenta’s ongoing mission to nurture mathematical excellence and research-oriented learning.