Right Triangle Side Length: Finding BC When Area = 27 and Height = 9

Question

ABC right triangle with an area of 27.

How long is side BC?

272727999AAABBBCCC

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Determine the value of BC
00:03 Apply the formula for calculating the area of a triangle
00:06 (height(AB) x base(BC)) divided by 2
00:11 Substitute in the relevant values and calculate to determine BC
00:17 Multiply by 2 to avoid fractions
00:24 Isolate BC
00:32 Divide 27 by 9 to obtain 3
00:37 This is the solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Use the given information to set up the equation for the area of the triangle.

  • Step 2: Calculate the length of side BC BC using the area formula.

  • Step 3: Verify the solution with the given choices.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: We know the area of the right triangle ABC \triangle ABC is given as 27 27 . The formula for the area of a right triangle is: Area=12×base×height\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height}
Given that AB=9 AB = 9 can be considered as the base, let BC BC be the height. Thus, the area formula translates to: 27=12×9×BC 27 = \frac{1}{2} \times 9 \times BC

Step 2: We solve for BC BC by rearranging the formula:
27=12×9×BC 27 = \frac{1}{2} \times 9 \times BC
27=4.5×BC 27 = 4.5 \times BC
BC=274.5 BC = \frac{27}{4.5}
BC=6 BC = 6

Step 3: According to the calculation, the length of BC BC is 6 6 . Reviewing the choices given, the correct answer is option 1: 6 6 .

Therefore, the length of side BC BC is 6 6 .

Answer

6