Intersecting Squares

         There are two squares. One is large and the other one is small. The large square has a side of 17 units and the smaller square has a side of 15 units with its vertex at the centre of the large square, and intersects the side of the large square 3 ½ units form the vertex.

        What is the area of the shaded overlapping region?

Answer:   We must first of all, rotate the small square so that its sides bisect the sides of the large square.

Thus the overlapping area is ¼ of the area of the large square.

(1/4) (17) 2 = 289 / 4 = 72 ¼