16Hit1600
AlgebraHardArea of a triangle formed by three lines

Algebra practice question

In the xy-plane, the lines y = 2x, y = −2x, and y = 8 form a triangle. What is the area of the triangle?

Answer: 32

y = 8 meets y = 2x at (4, 8) and y = −2x at (−4, 8); the other two lines meet at the origin. Base 8 (from −4 to 4) and height 8: area = (1/2)(8)(8) = 32.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 8
8 is the height alone.
If you answered 16
16 uses a base of 4.
If you answered 64
64 forgets the 1/2.

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