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Printjmc
geometry senior
Problem
Four semi-circles are shown with . What is the ratio of the shaded area to the unshaded area in the semi circle with diameter ? Express your answer as a common fraction. 
Solution
Let the radius of the large semicircle be . The diameter of the smallest semicircle is of the diameter of the largest semicircle, so the radius of the smallest semicircle is . Similarly, the radius of the next smallest semicircle is , and the radius of the next semicircle is . The unshaded area then is the sum of the areas of the three smallest semicircles: The largest semicircle has area , so the shaded area is Therefore, the desired ratio is
Final answer
\frac{11}{7}