Triangle Area
Area of a Triangle
b is the base, h is the perpendicular height to that base.
Heron's Formula
When only the three side lengths , , are known, use Heron's formula:
Heron's Formula
s is the semi-perimeter of the triangle.
Find the area of a triangle with base 10 cm and height 6 cm
Heron's formula: sides 3, 4, 5
(This is a right triangle — check: ✓)
Real world: cladding a roof gable end
The triangular gable end of a house has a base of 8 m and a height of 3 m.
A builder wants to know how much cladding material to order.
They order 12 m² of cladding, plus around 10 % extra for waste and cutting.
Real world: triangular plot of land
A surveyor measures a triangular plot with a base of 40 m and a perpendicular height of 25 m.
This equals 0.05 hectares. Landowners, planners, and valuers use the area to assess the plot's worth, calculate planning fees, or estimate crop yield potential.
Real world: reflective sheeting for road signs
A triangular warning sign has a base of 0.6 m and a height of 0.52 m.
A manufacturer producing 500 such signs needs of reflective sheeting. Calculating this in advance prevents under-ordering and production delays.
Where do we see triangles? Roof gable ends, the faces of pyramids, triangular road warning signs, sails on boats, the cross-section of a tent, mountain silhouettes, and the shape of a sliced sandwich all involve triangular areas.
Practice Problems
A triangle has base 12 m and height 5 m. Find its area.
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Use Heron's formula for a triangle with sides 5, 12, 13.
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A triangular flowerbed has a base of 6 m and a height of 4 m. How much topsoil (in m²) is needed to cover it?