The perimeter of a right-angled triangle is 72 cm. The lengths of its sides are in the ratio 3 : 4 : 5 Work out the area of the triangle

Perimeter= 72Ratios are 3:4:5In total, you can think of there being 3+4+5=12 "portions".This means that in the perimeter includes 12 portions. 72/12=6 so each portion is worth 6cm.
Now we can work out the length of each side.3:4:5 scaled up by 6 (recall that each portion is worth 6cm) yields sides of lengths 18cm, 24cm and 30 cm.
Note that the question says that it is a right angled triangle, therefore, we can use the formula for the area of a right angled triangle (1/2 x a x b).
Does it matter what you set a and b as? Yes, because neither a nor b are the hypotenuse. In our triangle, the hypotenuse will be 30cm (the longest length) so our a and b must be 18 and 24.
1/2 x 18 x 24 = 216cm^2

NA
Answered by Natasha A. Maths tutor

2597 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Expand (x-5)(2x-3)


If -3x + 10y = -100 and 13x + 10y = 60, solve for x and y.


How do you find the points of intersection of two curves?


How do function transformations work?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences