[Math] Calculate area of a parallelogram given its sides and the angle between diagonals

areageometrytrigonometry

The parallelogram ABCD has sides AB = 80 cm and BC = 60 cm. Let X be the intersection of its diagonals. How to calculate the area of the parallelogram, when given the angle between diagonals BXC = 60°.

I have calculated the angle AXB = 120° and written two equations based on the cosine law, but it has started to be complicated and I hope there is more elegant way.

Picture of the Parallelogram with the given values

Best Answer

You can use the law of cosines. You write the following system: \begin{equation} \begin{cases} 80^2=x^2+y^2-2xy\cos120°\\60^2=x^2+y^2-2xy\cos60° \end{cases} \end{equation} where $x$=$AX$ and $y$=$BX$.

Subtracting the equations: \begin{equation} 80^2-60^2=x^2+y^2-2xy\cos120°-(x^2+y^2-2xy\cos60°) \end{equation} we have:

$2800=-2xy(\cos120°-\cos60°)$

$2800=-2xy(-\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{2})$

$2800=2xy$

so $xy=1400$

Now you can just calculate the area of the two triangles ABX and BCX using:

\begin{equation} Area=\frac{1}{2}xy\sin\alpha, \end{equation}

where $\alpha$ is the angle between $x$ and $y$ (120° in ABX and 60° in BCX). Then it is easy.