Which expression represents the area of a triangle with base B and height H?

Which expression represents the area of a triangle with base B and height H?

• A. BH/2
• B. B x H
• C. BH
• D. B x H / 2

Answer: (A)

Area of a triangle is one-half of base times height. With base B and height H, the area is (B × H)/2, which is written as BH/2. This directly expresses taking the product of base and height and then dividing by 2 to get the triangle area. The product B × H (or BH) would give the area of a rectangle with those dimensions, not a triangle, since it omits the division by 2. The option B × H / 2 is the same value as BH/2, just written differently, so it also represents the correct area. The standard form BH/2 clearly shows the halving step needed for a triangle’s area.

Area of a triangle is one-half of base times height. With base B and height H, the area is (B × H)/2, which is written as BH/2. This directly expresses taking the product of base and height and then dividing by 2 to get the triangle area. The product B × H (or BH) would give the area of a rectangle with those dimensions, not a triangle, since it omits the division by 2. The option B × H / 2 is the same value as BH/2, just written differently, so it also represents the correct area. The standard form BH/2 clearly shows the halving step needed for a triangle’s area.