Right Triangle Challenge: Find Side Length Given Area 10.5 and Height 3

Question

A right triangle is shown below.

Its area is 10.5.

Calculate the length of side BC.

10.510.510.5333AAABBBCCC

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:07 Let's find the value of BC.
00:10 We'll use the formula for the area of a triangle.
00:13 Area equals height A B times base B C, then divided by 2.
00:20 Now, substitute the values you know and calculate BC.
00:25 Multiply the equation by 2 to get rid of the fraction.
00:31 Next, isolate BC on one side.
00:39 And there you have it! That's how you find BC.

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve for the length of side BC BC in the right triangle, we will use the area formula for triangles:

  • Step 1: Identify the given elements: Area=10.5 \text{Area} = 10.5 and one leg AB=3 AB = 3 .
  • Step 2: Use the formula for the area of a right triangle:
    Area=12×base×height\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height}
  • Step 3: Substitute the known values into the formula:
    10.5=12×3×BC10.5 = \frac{1}{2} \times 3 \times BC
  • Step 4: Solve for BC BC :
    Multiply both sides by 2 to clear the fraction:
    21=3×BC21 = 3 \times BC
  • Step 5: Divide both sides by 3 to isolate BC BC :
    BC=213=7BC = \frac{21}{3} = 7

Therefore, the length of side BC BC is 7 \boxed{7} .

Answer

7