SOLUTION: A triangular pyramid has a slant height of 0.75 feet. The equilateral triangular base has a perimeter of 1.2 feet and an area of 0.6 square feet. Find the surface area.

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Question 1059555: A triangular pyramid has a slant height of 0.75 feet. The equilateral triangular base has a perimeter of 1.2 feet and an area of 0.6 square feet. Find the surface area.
Answer by math_helper(2461) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I might be mistaken but the geometry of the base is impossible:
If the perimeter of an equilateral triangle is 1.2ft, then each side is 0.4ft
The area of that triangle is given as 0.6 sqft
For the base: +Area+=+%281%2F2%29%28b%29%28h%29+
+Area+=+0.6+=+%281%2F2%29%280.4%29%28h%29+
+++++++++++++3+=+h+
Do you see it?
If the height of the base triangle is 3, then there is a triangle that corresponds to half of the base of the pyramid that has sides: 3, 0.2, and 0.4. You can not have a triangle with these dimensions (the two short sides must add to more than 3 or else they do not form a closed shape).
—
As a further check: Area of equilateral triangle is +%28sqrt%283%29%2F4%29%2Aside%5E2+
+%28sqrt%283%29%2F4%29%2A%280.4%5E2%29+=+0.06928++%3C%3E+0.6++