The area of a triangle is 80 in². The ratio of the length of its base to its height is 5:2. What are the base and height of the triangle?

To find the base and height of the triangle, we can use the formula for the area of a triangle:

Area = (1/2) × base × height

Given that the area is 80 in², we can set up the equation:

80 = (1/2) × base × height

Now, let’s denote the base as 5x and the height as 2x since the ratio of the base to height is 5:2.

Substituting these values into our area equation gives us:

80 = (1/2) × (5x) × (2x)

This simplifies to:

80 = 5x²

Now we can solve for x²:

x² = 80/5

x² = 16

This means x = 4.

Now we can find the base and height:

Base = 5x = 5 × 4 = 20 in

Height = 2x = 2 × 4 = 8 in

So, the base of the triangle is 20 inches and the height is 8 inches.

More Related Questions