Question

Oliver has created a plot of his backyard on the given coordinate plane, so that each unit length is one yard. He wants to design a right triangular plant bed for his backyard that has an area of eight square yards. After placing one vertex of the base of the plant bed at (3, 8) and one vertex at (7, 8) on his coordinate plane, he has to determine where to place the last vertex. Locate the possible locations of the last vertex on the coordinate plane.

Answer 1

3,4 7,4

Explanation:

Answer 2

The possible locations are;

(3, 4), (3, 12), (7, 4), and (7, 12)

Please find attached the plot of the points created with Microsoft Excel

Explanation:

The given parameters of the plot of Oliver's backyard are;

The area of the right triangular plant bed Oliver wants to design, A = 8 yd²

The length of a/each unit of the plot = 1 yard

The location of one of the vertex of the right triangular area = (3, 8)

The location of the other vertex of the right triangular area = (7, 8)

We note that the area of a triangle, A = 1/2 × Base length, B × Height, h

Let the distance between the two plotted point represent the base length, 'B', therefore;

B = 7 - 3 = 4 (We subtract only the x-values (7 and 3) given that the y-values (8 and 8) are the same;

Therefore, the base length, B = 4 yards

A = 1/2 × B × h

∴ A = 8 yd.² = 1/2 × 4 yd. × h

h = 8 yd.²/ 2 yd. = 4 yd.

The height of the right triangle, h = 4 yd.

Therefore the possible locations of the last vertex the right triangle on the coordinate plane, given that the first two points are parallel with the x-axis, are points 4 units above or the y-axis value of the plotted points with the x-value of the last vertex being either 3, or 7 as follows;

(3, 8 ± 4) or (7, 8 ± 4) which give points, (3, 4), (3, 12), (7, 4), and (7, 12).