Let x be the area of the dilated triangle
The ratio of the area of the image to the area of the pre-image is equal to the square of the scale factor
Let k be the scale factor
![\frac{\operatorname{Im}age\text{ area}}{\text{Pre image area}}=k^2]()
From the question, k = 3 and pre image area = 8
substitute into the formula and evaluate
Multiply both-side by 8
Hence, the area of the dilated triangle is 72 in²