Lesson 8-2

Area of Triangles
I Can… understand how a parallelogram can be decomposed into What Vocabulary
two congruent triangles to find the area of one triangle, and use the Will You Learn?
area formula for a triangle to find areas or missing dimensions. base
congruent figures
height (triangle)

Explore Parallelograms and Area of Triangles

Online Activity You will use Web Sketchpad to explore how the
area of a parallelogram is related to the area of triangles.

Pause and Reflect

What did you learn in the previous lesson that might help you find the
area of triangles in this lesson? What did you learn in the Explore
activity that also might help you in this lesson?
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Record your See students’ responses.

observations
here

Lesson 8-2 • Area of Triangles 443

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 Your Notes Learn Area of Triangles
Congruent figures are figures that have the same shape and size.
A diagonal of a parallelogram separates it into two congruent
triangles. Since congruent triangles have the same area, the area of
a triangle is one-half the area of the parallelogram.
Go Online Watch the video to learn how a parallelogram is used
to find the area of a triangle.
The base of the parallelogram is 8 units.
The height is 12 units. The area of the
parallelogram is 8(12), or 96 square units.
A diagonal line is drawn to form two
congruent triangles.

The area of one triangle is half the area

of the parallelogram, which is 96 ÷ 2, or
48 square units.

The formula for the area of a triangle is

derived from the formula for the area of
a parallelogram. It also uses its base and
height. The base b of a triangle can be height (h)
any one of its sides. The height h is the
perpendicular distance from a base to its
opposite vertex. base (b)
Think About It!
What formula will you Words Symbols
use to find the area? The area of a triangle is one half
A=_ A= _
the product of its base b and its 1 bh
1 ​​  2 bh or ​​ 2 ​​
A = __
​​  2 ​​ bh height h.

 alk About It!

T Example 1 Find Area of Right Triangles Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

What is the area of a Find the area of the triangle.

rectangle with a base of
A=_
6 centimeters and a 1
​​  2 ​​bh Area of a triangle 4 cm
height of 4 centimeters?
A=_
How can you use this to 1 Replace b and h with the
​​  2 ​​(6)(4) known values.
check your answer to
this example? 6 cm
A= 12 Multiply.
24 cm2; Sample
answer: The triangle is So, the area of the triangle is 12 square centimeters.
half the rectangle and
12 is half of 24.

444 Module 8 • Area

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 Check
Find the area of the triangle. 5 ft2
Show 2 ft
your work
here

5 ft
Go Online You can complete an Extra Example online.

Explore Area of Triangles

Online Activity You will use Web Sketchpad to explore the area
of a triangle.

Example 2 Find Area of Triangles Think About It!

The front of a camping tent has the What is a good
estimate for the
dimensions shown.
solution?
How much material was used to
make the front of the tent? See students’
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

responses.
A=_
1
​​  2 ​​bh Area of a triangle

A=_
​​  2 ​​(​​5_
​​  5​​)​​(3​​ _ 3 21 ft
2)
1 1 1 Talk About It!
​​ Replace b and h
with the known Compare your solution
values. to the estimate.
5 51 ft
A = 9_
1
​​  ​​ 10
Multiply. Sample answer: The
base of the tent is about
So, the amount of fabric used to make the front of the tent is 5 ft; the height is about
9_
1 4 ft. The area is about
​​  ​​
10 square feet. __ 1
​​  2 ​​(5 • 4), or 10 ft2, which
is close to the actual
1 2
value, 9​​ ___
10 ​​ ft .

Lesson 8-2 • Area of Triangles 445

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 Check
A floor is tiled with triangular tiles as
shown. Find the area of one tile.
 2
Show 48 in
your work
here 8 in.
12 in.

Go Online You can complete an Extra Example online.

Example 3 Find Missing Dimensions of Triangles

Think About It! Find the missing dimension
What formula will you of the triangle.
use to solve the
6.2 cm
problem? Step 1 Identify the given values.
1
b
A = __
​​  2 ​​ bh The height and the area are given. A = 24.8 cm2
You need to find the base.

Step 2 Find the missing dimension.

A=_
1
​​  2 ​​bh Area of a triangle

24.8 = _
1
​​  2 ​​b(6.2) Replace A and h with the known values.

1
49.6 = b(6.2) Multiply each side by the reciprocal of __
​​ 2 ​​, 2.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education; Enrique Ramos Lopez/123RF

8=b Divide each side by 6.2.

So, the base of the triangle is 8 centimeters.

Talk About It!
How can you check
your answer? Check
Sample answer: I can Find the missing dimension of the triangle. 7.3
 m
replace b and h in the
formula with 8 and 6.2 3.2 m
and verify that ​​ _​​ (8)(6.2)
1
2
is equal to 24.8. b
A = 11.68 m2
Show
your work
here

Go Online You can complete an Extra Example online.

446 Module 8 • Area

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 Apply Home Improvement
Blossom is painting the
outlined section of the cabin
shown. A gallon of paint costs 23.8 ft
$24.95 and covers 250 square
feet. If the total area of the
windows is 0.75 square feet,
how much money will Blossom
34 ft
spend on paint?

1 What is the task?

Make sure you understand exactly what question to answer or
problem to solve. You may want to read the problem three times.
Discuss these questions with a partner.

First Time Describe the context of the problem, in your own words.
Second Time What mathematics do you see in the problem?
Third Time What are you wondering about?

2 How can you approach the task? What strategies can you
use?
Record your
observations
here
Talk About It!
See students’ strategies. What is the area of a
triangle with a base of
3 What is your solution? 35 feet and a height of
Use your strategy to solve the problem. 25 feet? How can you
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education; Josh Cornish/Shutterstock.com

Show
use this to check your
your work answer to this
here
application problem?

$49.90; See students’ work.

437.5 square feet;
Sample answer: If I
round the
4 How can you show your solution is reasonable?
dimensions to find
Write About It! Write an argument that can be used to defend
the area of the
your solution.
triangle, I can use it
See students’ arguments. to compare to my
answer, to make sure
my answer is
reasonable.

Lesson 8-2 • Area of Triangles 447

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 Check
Vladimir is planting wildflowers in the corner of his yard as shown.
A packet of wildflower seeds costs $4.95 and covers 50 square feet.
How much will Vladimir spend on wildflower seeds? $14.85

15 ft

15 ft

Show
your work
here

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Go Online You can complete an Extra Example online.

Foldables It′s time to update your Foldable, located in the

Module Review, based on what you learned in this lesson. If you
haven’t already assembled your Foldable, you can find the
instructions on page FL1.
Area

parallelograms triangles trapezoids

Write About It Write About It Write About It

448 Module 8 • Area

THIS MATERIAL IS PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED, REPRODUCED, OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTED.