Final answer:
The area of a rectangular body is calculated by the formula Length × Width. The units of measurement need to be squared to reflect the area. For a triangle, the area is found with the formula 1/2 × base × height, with attention to significant figures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The method for calculating the area of a rectangular body is: Length × Width. This means you multiply the length of one side by the length of the adjacent side. For example, if a rectangle has a length of 5 meters and a width of 3 meters, the area would be 5 meters × 3 meters = 15 square meters. Units are essential in area calculation since they must be squared, such as square meters (m²) for the area.
For objects like triangles, you use the formula 1/2 × base × height. If a triangle has a base of 1.007 meters and a height of 0.665 meters, you would calculate its area by 1/2 × 1.007 m × 0.665 m = 0.33466 m². This needs to be expressed to the proper significant figures, which would depend on the context in which this calculation is being made. Using conversion factors, the units can be changed from meters to other units, like centimeters, without affecting the number of significant figures. The 1 and 100 in the conversion factors do not affect the determination of significant figures because they are exact numbers.