ACT Math · Probability and counting

A square dartboard has side length 10. A circle with radius 3 is inscribed somewhere on the board. If a dart lands at a random point on…

A square dartboard has side length 10. A circle with radius 3 is inscribed somewhere on the board. If a dart lands at a random point on the board, which value is closest to the probability it lands inside the circle?

Answer and explanation

Answer: G: 0.28

With a random dart, the probability equals the ratio of the favorable area to the total area. The circle has area π(3)2=9π≈28.3\pi(3)^2=9\pi\approx28.3, and the square has area 102=10010^2=100. So the probability is 9π100≈0.283\frac{9\pi}{100}\approx0.283, choice G. Choice F (0.090.09) is 9100\frac{9}{100}, leaving out π\pi. Choice H (0.300.30) is 310\frac{3}{10}, the ratio of the radius to the side, which is a ratio of lengths and not of areas. Choice J (0.790.79) is π4\frac{\pi}{4}, the fraction for a circle that fills the whole square.

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