Question

What is the area of a right triangle with a hypotenuse measuring 5 inches and a base measuring 4 inches?

A. 12 in2
B. 10 in2
C. 7.5 in2
D. 6 in2

Answer 1

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

4^2 + b^2 = 5^2

16 + b^2 = 25

b^2 = 9

b = 3 or b = -3

Since b is a leg of a triangle, we discard the negative answer.

b = 3

A = bh/2 = 3 in * 4 in / 2 = 6 in^2

Answer: D. 6 in^2

Answer 2

the answer is 6 in2!