How do you determine the area of a triangle?

How do you determine the area of a triangle?

• A. (base x height) / 2
• B. Base x Height
• C. Pi r^2
• D. (base x height) x 2

Answer: (A)

To determine the area of a triangle, multiply the base by the height and take half of that product. The height is the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite vertex, and a triangle fits into half of the rectangle that has the same base and height, so its area is half of base×height. For example, with a base of 8 units and a height of 5 units, area = (8×5)/2 = 20 square units. Using base×height alone would give the area of a rectangle with the same base and height, not a triangle. Pi r^2 is the circle area formula, and base×height×2 would double the rectangle's area, not reflect a triangle.

To determine the area of a triangle, multiply the base by the height and take half of that product. The height is the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite vertex, and a triangle fits into half of the rectangle that has the same base and height, so its area is half of base×height. For example, with a base of 8 units and a height of 5 units, area = (8×5)/2 = 20 square units.

Using base×height alone would give the area of a rectangle with the same base and height, not a triangle. Pi r^2 is the circle area formula, and base×height×2 would double the rectangle's area, not reflect a triangle.