Question

The area of a right triangle with one leg measuring 5 ft. and hypotenuse measuring 13 ft. is

Answer 1

Apply the pythagorean theorem.
a squared + b squared = c squared
5 squared + b squared = 13 sqaured
b squared = 13 squared - 5 squared
b squared = 144
b = 12

Answer 2

it's a 5-12-13 triangle, so 12*5/2 = 30