16Hit1600
AlgebraHardArea of the triangle a line makes with the axes

Algebra practice question

In the xy-plane, the graph of 3x + 4y = 24 and the two coordinate axes form a triangle. What is the area of the triangle?

Answer: 24

The x-intercept is at 3x = 24, x = 8; the y-intercept is at 4y = 24, y = 6. The right triangle has legs 8 and 6, so its area is (1/2)(8)(6) = 24.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 12
12 comes from halving the area a second time.
If you answered 14
14 is 8 + 6, the sum of the intercepts.
If you answered 48
48 is 8 × 6, without the half.

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