Area of Triangles and Quadrilaterals

Formulas for calculating area

Area of Triangles and Quadrilaterals

Triangle

Basic formula: A=12bhA = \frac{1}{2}bh where bb = base, hh = height (perpendicular to base)

Heron's Formula (when you know all three sides): A=s(sa)(sb)(sc)A = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)} where s=a+b+c2s = \frac{a+b+c}{2} (semi-perimeter)

Rectangle

A=lwA = lw where ll = length, ww = width

Parallelogram

A=bhA = bh where bb = base, hh = height (perpendicular distance between parallel sides)

Trapezoid

A=12(b1+b2)hA = \frac{1}{2}(b_1 + b_2)h where b1b_1 and b2b_2 are the parallel bases, hh = height

Can also write as: A=12h(b1+b2)A = \frac{1}{2}h(b_1 + b_2) or A=mhA = mh where mm is the midsegment

Rhombus

Method 1: A=bhA = bh (like parallelogram)

Method 2: A=12d1d2A = \frac{1}{2}d_1 d_2 (using diagonals)

Square

A=s2A = s^2 where ss = side length

Key Strategy

Always identify the base and perpendicular height!

📚 Practice Problems

1Problem 1easy

Question:

Find the area of a triangle with base 12 cm and height 8 cm.

💡 Show Solution

Step 1: Recall the triangle area formula: Area = (1/2) × base × height

Step 2: Identify the given values: Base = 12 cm Height = 8 cm

Step 3: Substitute into the formula: Area = (1/2) × 12 × 8 Area = (1/2) × 96 Area = 48 cm²

Answer: The area is 48 cm²

2Problem 2easy

Question:

Find the area of a triangle with base 10 and height 6.

💡 Show Solution

Use the formula: A=12bhA = \frac{1}{2}bh

A=12(10)(6)A = \frac{1}{2}(10)(6)

A=602=30A = \frac{60}{2} = 30

Answer: 30 square units

3Problem 3easy

Question:

A parallelogram has a base of 15 m and a height of 9 m. Find its area.

💡 Show Solution

Step 1: Recall the parallelogram area formula: Area = base × height

Step 2: Identify the values: Base = 15 m Height = 9 m (perpendicular distance)

Step 3: Calculate: Area = 15 × 9 Area = 135 m²

Step 4: Note: The height must be perpendicular to the base It's NOT the length of the slanted side

Answer: The area is 135 m²

4Problem 4medium

Question:

A trapezoid has bases of 8 and 12, and a height of 5. Find the area.

💡 Show Solution

Use the trapezoid formula: A=12(b1+b2)hA = \frac{1}{2}(b_1 + b_2)h

A=12(8+12)(5)A = \frac{1}{2}(8 + 12)(5)

A=12(20)(5)A = \frac{1}{2}(20)(5)

A=50A = 50

Answer: 50 square units

5Problem 5medium

Question:

A trapezoid has bases of 10 cm and 16 cm, and a height of 7 cm. Find its area.

💡 Show Solution

Step 1: Recall the trapezoid area formula: Area = (1/2) × (base₁ + base₂) × height

Step 2: Identify the values: Base₁ = 10 cm Base₂ = 16 cm Height = 7 cm

Step 3: Substitute: Area = (1/2) × (10 + 16) × 7 Area = (1/2) × 26 × 7 Area = (1/2) × 182 Area = 91 cm²

Step 4: Alternative thinking: Average of bases = (10 + 16)/2 = 13 cm Area = average × height = 13 × 7 = 91 cm²

Answer: The area is 91 cm²

6Problem 6medium

Question:

Find the area of a rhombus with diagonals of length 14 cm and 10 cm.

💡 Show Solution

Step 1: Recall the rhombus area formula: Area = (1/2) × d₁ × d₂ where d₁ and d₂ are the diagonals

Step 2: Identify the diagonals: d₁ = 14 cm d₂ = 10 cm

Step 3: Calculate: Area = (1/2) × 14 × 10 Area = (1/2) × 140 Area = 70 cm²

Step 4: Why this formula works: The diagonals of a rhombus are perpendicular They divide the rhombus into 4 right triangles Total area = sum of the 4 triangles

Answer: The area is 70 cm²

7Problem 7hard

Question:

A rhombus has diagonals of length 10 and 24. Find its area.

💡 Show Solution

For a rhombus, use the diagonal formula: A=12d1d2A = \frac{1}{2}d_1 d_2

A=12(10)(24)A = \frac{1}{2}(10)(24)

A=2402A = \frac{240}{2}

A=120A = 120

Answer: 120 square units

8Problem 8hard

Question:

A triangle has sides of length 13, 14, and 15. Find its area using Heron's formula.

💡 Show Solution

Step 1: Recall Heron's formula: Area = √[s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)] where s is the semi-perimeter: s = (a+b+c)/2

Step 2: Find the semi-perimeter: a = 13, b = 14, c = 15 s = (13 + 14 + 15)/2 s = 42/2 s = 21

Step 3: Calculate (s - a), (s - b), (s - c): s - a = 21 - 13 = 8 s - b = 21 - 14 = 7 s - c = 21 - 15 = 6

Step 4: Substitute into Heron's formula: Area = √[21 × 8 × 7 × 6] Area = √[21 × 8 × 7 × 6] Area = √7056

Step 5: Simplify the square root: 7056 = 16 × 441 = 16 × 21² √7056 = 4 × 21 = 84

Step 6: Verify the calculation: 21 × 8 = 168 168 × 7 = 1176 1176 × 6 = 7056 √7056 = 84 ✓

Answer: The area is 84 square units