Right Triangle Side Length: Finding BC When Area = 10 and Height = 4

Question

Look at the right triangle below.

Area = 10

How long is side BC?

101010444AAABBBCCC

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Determine the value of BC
00:02 Apply the formula to calculate the triangle's area
00:06 (height(AB) x base(BC)) divided by 2
00:11 Substitute in the relevant values and calculate to find BC
00:20 Divide 4 by 2 to obtain 2
00:23 Isolate BC
00:30 This is the solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To find the length of side BC BC , follow these steps:


Step 1: Identify the given information

  • The area of the triangle is given as 10 10 .
  • The height AB AB is 4 4 .


Step 2: Apply the area formula for a right triangle

The formula for the area A A of a triangle is:

A=12×base×height A = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height}


Step 3: Set up the equation

Substituting the known values into the formula gives:

10=12×BC×4 10 = \frac{1}{2} \times BC \times 4


Step 4: Solve for BC BC

Begin by simplifying the equation:

10=2×BC 10 = 2 \times BC

Dividing both sides by 2 to solve for BC BC , we obtain:

BC=102=5 BC = \frac{10}{2} = 5


Therefore, the length of side BC BC is 5 5 .

Answer

5