How do you calculate the area of a triangle?

To calculate the area of a triangle, the formula you use is A = 1/2bh, where 'b' represents the base of the triangle and 'h' is the height. This formula derives from the concept that a triangle can be viewed as half of a rectangle.

In a rectangle, the area is found by multiplying the length and the width (A = lw). When we consider a triangle that shares a base and height with a rectangle, we realize that the triangle occupies exactly half the area of the rectangle formed by extending the triangle's height from the base upwards. Thus, if we take the area of the rectangle (base times height) and divide it by two, we arrive at the area formula for a triangle.

This understanding is fundamental in geometry and showcases how figures can relate to one another in terms of their area calculations. The formula provides a straightforward method to find the area with just the measurements of the base and height, which are typically easy to measure or calculate.