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What is the area of triangle ABC?

What is the area of triangle ABC?-example-1
User Suriv
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1 Answer

5 votes

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Answer:

C. 36√3 square units

Explanation:

Your knowledge of special triangles tells you that height CD is ...

CD = 6√3

so the area is ...

A = 1/2bh

A = 1/2(12)(6√3) = 36√3 . . . . square units

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Additional comment

The 30°-60°-90° right triangle that is half an equilateral triangle has a short side equal to half the length of the long side. The Pythagorean theorem tells you that the middle-length side is √(2²-1²) = √3 times the shortest side. That is, the side length ratios in this "special" triangle are ...

1 : √3 : 2

This means the length DB is 12/2 = 6, and the length CD is 6√3.