document.write( "Question 156797: The height of a triangle is 2 millimeter less than the base. If the area is 60 square millimeters, find the base \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #115603 by nerdybill(7384)\"\" \"About 
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The height of a triangle is 2 millimeter less than the base. If the area is 60 square millimeters, find the base
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\n" ); document.write( "Remember that the area of any triangle is:
\n" ); document.write( "area = (1/2)hb
\n" ); document.write( "where
\n" ); document.write( "h is height
\n" ); document.write( "b is base
\n" ); document.write( ".
\n" ); document.write( "If we
\n" ); document.write( "Let b = base
\n" ); document.write( "then
\n" ); document.write( "Your problem gives:
\n" ); document.write( "height = b-2
\n" ); document.write( "area = 60 sq mm
\n" ); document.write( ".
\n" ); document.write( "Plugging it all into:
\n" ); document.write( "area = (1/2)hb
\n" ); document.write( "60 = (1/2)(b-2)b
\n" ); document.write( "120 = (b-2)b
\n" ); document.write( "120 = b^2 - 2b
\n" ); document.write( "0 = b^2 - 2b - 120
\n" ); document.write( ".
\n" ); document.write( "factoring:
\n" ); document.write( "0 = (b-12)(b+10)
\n" ); document.write( "b = {12, -10}
\n" ); document.write( "we can throw out the negative solution since it doesn't make sense for a \"measurement\".
\n" ); document.write( ".
\n" ); document.write( "Therefore,
\n" ); document.write( "base is 12 millimeters \n" ); document.write( "
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