SOLUTION: A right triangle has sides of length 3 ft., 4 ft., and 5 ft. What is its area?_____ sq. ft.

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Question 658711: A right triangle has sides of length 3 ft., 4 ft., and 5 ft.
What is its area?_____ sq. ft.
Answer by colliefan(242) About Me  (Show Source):
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The easiest way to do this is to see that a right triangle forms half of a rectangle. The 3' and 4' lengths are then the width and length of a rectangle. (The 5' side runs diagonally across the rectangle.) The area of the rectangle is l*w or 3*4=12 ft^2. The right triangle has half the area of the rectangle and so must have an area of 6 ft^2.