Welcome! Today we'll learn how to find the area of a triangle. The most common and fundamental method uses the formula: Area equals one-half times base times height. Let me show you how this works with a visual example.
Let's break this down into clear steps. First, identify any side as the base. Second, find the perpendicular height from the opposite vertex to the base. Third, apply our formula. Finally, calculate the result. In this example, our base is 4 units and height is 2.5 units.
Now let's calculate the area step by step. We substitute our values into the formula: Area equals one-half times 4 times 2.5. First, we multiply 4 times 2.5 to get 10. Then we multiply by one-half to get our final answer: 5 square units.
The beautiful thing about this formula is that it works for all types of triangles. Whether you have a right triangle, an acute triangle, or an obtuse triangle, the same principle applies. Simply identify any side as your base and find the perpendicular height to that base from the opposite vertex.
While the base times height formula is most common, other methods exist depending on what information you have. If you know two sides and the included angle, use the sine formula. If you know all three sides, Heron's formula works perfectly. Remember, the key is choosing the right method for the information given!