Which formula gives the area of a triangle in terms of base and height?

Which formula gives the area of a triangle in terms of base and height?

• A. Area = 2bh
• B. Area = bh/2
• C. Area = bh
• D. Area = b^2h

Answer: (B)

Think about a triangle that shares the same base and height as a rectangle. The rectangle with base b and height h has area bh. A triangle drawn inside that rectangle using the same base and height is exactly half of that rectangle, because cutting the rectangle along a diagonal splits it into two equal triangles. So the area is bh/2. That’s why bh/2 is the right expression. The other options don’t match this relationship: 2bh would be twice the rectangle’s area, bh would give the full rectangle’s area, and b^2h would have the wrong units and doesn’t reflect a base-height area relationship.

Think about a triangle that shares the same base and height as a rectangle. The rectangle with base b and height h has area bh. A triangle drawn inside that rectangle using the same base and height is exactly half of that rectangle, because cutting the rectangle along a diagonal splits it into two equal triangles. So the area is bh/2.

That’s why bh/2 is the right expression. The other options don’t match this relationship: 2bh would be twice the rectangle’s area, bh would give the full rectangle’s area, and b^2h would have the wrong units and doesn’t reflect a base-height area relationship.