A triangle has an area of 77 square inches. How do you find the length of the base if the base is 3 inches more than the height?

1 Answer
Roella W.
Jan 8, 2016

Solve the quadratic equation to get b=14

Explanation:

If the base of a triangle is b and the height is h, the area A = 1/2bh
In this example h = b-3 and A = 77
:.77 = 1/2b(b-3)
154 = b^2 - 3b
b^2 - 3b - 154 = 0

154=77*2 = 7*11*2 = 11*14
11 -14 = -3 so these are the factors we need

(b-14)(b+11) = 0
b cannot be equal to -11 as we are dealing with a real entity (the triangle) so b=14

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