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Question

What is the area of the triangle ABC with sides a = 10cm and c = 4cm angle B = 30°?

This question was previously asked in
NDA I 2021 GAT Previous Year Paper (18-Apr-2021)
The correct answer is

10 cm 2

Understanding the Problem: Finding the Area of Triangle ABC

The question asks for the area of a triangle ABC. We are given the lengths of two sides, a and c, and the measure of the angle B between them. This specific scenario calls for using a particular formula for the area of a triangle.

Formula for Triangle Area with Two Sides and Included Angle

When you know the lengths of two sides of a triangle and the measure of the angle between those two sides, you can calculate the area using the trigonometric formula:

\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2}ab \sin(C)\)

or similarly,

  • \(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2}bc \sin(A)\)
  • \(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2}ac \sin(B)\)

In this problem, we are given sides a and c, and the angle B, which is the angle included between sides a and c. So, we will use the formula:

\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2}ac \sin(B)\)

Applying the Area Formula to Triangle ABC

We are given the following values:

  • Side a = 10 cm
  • Side c = 4 cm
  • Angle B = 30°

Now, we substitute these values into the formula:

\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 10 \text{ cm} \times 4 \text{ cm} \times \sin(30°)\)

Calculating the Sine Value

We need the value of \(\sin(30°)\). A common trigonometric value is \(\sin(30°) = \frac{1}{2} = 0.5\).

Completing the Area Calculation

Substitute the value of \(\sin(30°)\) into the equation:

\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 10 \times 4 \times 0.5\)

Perform the multiplication:

\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 40 \times 0.5\)

\(\text{Area} = 20 \times 0.5\)

\(\text{Area} = 10\)

The units for area are square centimeters (cm\({^2}\)).

So, the area of triangle ABC is 10 cm\({^2}\).

Comparing with the Options

Let's compare our calculated area with the given options:

  • Option 1: 16 cm\({^2}\)
  • Option 2: 12 cm\({^2}\)
  • Option 3: 10 cm\({^2}\)
  • Option 4: 8 cm\({^2}\)

Our calculated area of 10 cm\({^2}\) matches Option 3.

Revision Table: Triangle Area Formulas

Method Information Needed Formula
Base and Height Base (b) and corresponding height (h) \(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height}\)
\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2}bh\)
Two Sides and Included Angle Two sides (a, b) and the included angle (C) \(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2}ab \sin(C)\)
(and variations for other sides/angles)
Three Sides (Heron's Formula) Three sides (a, b, c) First calculate the semi-perimeter, \(s = \frac{a+b+c}{2}\).
Then, \(\text{Area} = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}\)

Additional Information: Understanding Sine in Area Calculation

The trigonometric formula for the area of a triangle (\(\frac{1}{2}ab \sin(C)\)) is derived from the standard base-height formula. Consider a triangle with sides a, b, and angle C between them. If we take side 'a' as the base, the height 'h' relative to this base would be \(h = b \sin(C)\). Substituting this into the base-height formula (\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height}\)), we get:

\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times a \times (b \sin(C))\)

\(\text{Area} = \frac{1}{2}ab \sin(C)\)

This shows how the sine of the included angle relates the side lengths to the triangle's height and ultimately its area.

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Similar Questions

  1. What is the area of the parallelogram?

  2. Consider the following statements :
    1. If in a triangle ABC, A = 2B and b = c, then it must be an obtuse-angled triangle.
    2. There exists no triangle ABC with A = 40°, B = 65° and a/c = sin 40° cosec 15°

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?

  3. Consider the following statements in respect of the points (p, p - 3), (q + 3, q) and (6, 3):

    1. The points lie on a straight line.

    2. The points always lie in the first quadrant only for any value of p and q.

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?

  4. Let a, b, c be the lengths of sides BC, CA, AB respectively of a triangle ABC. If p is the perimeter and q is the area of the triangle, then what is \(p(p-2a) \tan \left(\frac{A}{2}\right)\) equal to ?

  5. What is the equation of the diagonal BD?

  6. For what value of m with m < 0, is the area bounded by the lines y = x, y = mx and x = 2 equal to 3 ?

  7. The area of a triangle, whose vertices are (3, 4), (5, 2) and the point of intersection of the lines x = a and y = 5, is 3 square units. What is the value of a?


Important Questions from Area

  1. For the equations \(ax + (a^2 + 1)y = 4\) and \(4x + ay = a^2\), which of the following statements is TRUE?

  2. What is the area of the parallelogram?

  3. Consider the following statements :
    1. If in a triangle ABC, A = 2B and b = c, then it must be an obtuse-angled triangle.
    2. There exists no triangle ABC with A = 40°, B = 65° and a/c = sin 40° cosec 15°

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?

  4. Which one of the following is the area of a sector of a circle of radius 10 cm formed by an arc length of 15 cm?

  5. Consider the following statements in respect of the points (p, p - 3), (q + 3, q) and (6, 3):

    1. The points lie on a straight line.

    2. The points always lie in the first quadrant only for any value of p and q.

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?

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