Isosceles traingle question

[rippinitez]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

If you have an isosceles triangle with an area of 64 inch squared. How would you go about calculating the length of one of the sides?

 

[RCT PC CRN]

If you have an isosceles triangle with an area of 64 inch squared. How would you go about calculating the length of one of the sides?

I'm thinking it might be equilateral triangle. They are asking "length of one side"...well which side one of the isosceles side or the third one which is not equal to rest of two...so I think it's equilateral triangle. Beside I can't think of straight formula for isosceles but there is one for equilateral Area = Side^2 sqrt(3)/4.

 

[BioSeven]

Area = (1/2)(base*height).
With an isosceles triangle, base and height are the same length -->
(side*side) or (side^2)

So...

64 = (1/2)(side^2)
side^2 = 128
side = sqrt(128) or 8*sqrt(2)

 

[Streetwolf]

Area = (1/2)(base*height).
With an isosceles triangle, base and height are the same length -->
(side*side) or (side^2)

So...

64 = (1/2)(side^2)
side^2 = 128
side = sqrt(128) or 8*sqrt(2)

Only works when the two equal sides form a right angle... otherwise it doesn't.

 

[rippinitez]

Oh that makes sense! I had no idea that base and height are the same in an isosceles triangle. Thanks again👍

 

[UCB05]

Only works when the two equal sides form a right angle... otherwise it doesn't.

yup. We're going to need some other bit of information to solve this. The length of a side, or an angle, or something. An isosceles triangle of 64square units describes an infinite number of different triangles...

 

[rippinitez]

There was a similar question in Math destroyer, and that was the only info. it provided.

 

[BioSeven]

Only works when the two equal sides form a right angle... otherwise it doesn't.

Sorry, I forgot to mention this way of solving is for an isosceles right triangle....But DAT math is supposed to be simple so I don't think they'd ask for something more complicated than this.