Triangular Area equation: which expression is given for the area?

• A. A = Base X Height
• B. A = Base X Height / 2
• C. A = 1/2 Base + Height
• D. A = (Base + Height) / 2

Answer: (A)

Think of the triangle’s area as half of a rectangle that has the same base and height. If you multiply base by height, you get the rectangle’s area; a triangle only fills half of that space, so you divide by 2. The expression for the triangle’s area is A = Base × Height ÷ 2. Using Base × Height alone would give the rectangle’s area, not the triangle’s. The other forms—half of base plus height, or the average of base and height—don’t reflect how area relates to base and height for a triangle. For example, with base 6 and height 4, A = 6×4÷2 = 12.