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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Question from Shanon, a parent: I know that A=1/2bh, but for the life of me cannot figure out my 6th graders math problem. What is the perimeter of a right triangle whose area = 600 sq. ft. Can you show me how to solve this? Thank you! |
Shanon,
There is more than one answer. You get bh = 1200. Assuming that b and h are the lengths of legs of the triangle, for every choice of b and h that multiply together to give 1200, you can you Pythagoras' Theorem (b2 + h2 = c2shanon1) to find the length c of the third side. The perimeter is b + h + c. Are you sure there isn't another condition? For example, are the two legs of equal length?
Victoria
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