Question

Calculate the area of triangle ABC with altitude CD, given A (6, -2), B (1, 3), C (5, 5), and D (2, 2).

a. 12 square units
b. 13 square units
c. 13 square units
d. 15 square units

Answer 1

Area of a triangle can be found by cranking out 1/2 the length of the altitude times the length of the side of the triangle to which that altitude is drawn.

Answer 2

Here's the distance formula you can use to find the length of segment AB with coordinates A(6,-2) and B (1,3).

Then, do the same for points C (5,5) and D(2,2) to get the length of altitude CD.

Answer 3

.5 times square root of 50 times the square root of 18 ?

Answer 4

If you simplify the radicands, the calculation (by hand) may go a little faster.

Answer 5

15? d?

Answer 6

What did you get? You can use a calculator and crank out the answer if you don't want to simplify the radicands.

Answer 7

15 square units, yes. That is what I got.