The height of a triangle is 5 centimeters less than the base. The area of the triangle 3 square centimeters. Find the length of the base and height of the triangle.

Question

anonymous · Answer

Do you know the formula of the area of a triangle?

anonymous · Answer

1/2 base times height right?

anonymous · Answer

Yup. So you know that height of the triangle is 5 cm less than the base. A way to represent this in equation form would be as so:$$height = base - 5cm$$

you know that your equation of a triangle is:$$Area = \frac{ 1 }{ 2 }(base)(height)$$you plug what you have as your height into the formula and also the known area (which is 3 cm^2):$$3 cm^2= (base)(base-5cm)$$can you solve for the base from here?

anonymous · Answer

oops I meant this as the final equation for the solution of the base:$$3cm^2 = \frac{ 1 }{ 2 }(base)(base-5cm)$$ignore the top one

anonymous · Answer

Thank you!