To find the area of the rectangle within the composite shape, we need to subtract the area of the two congruent right triangles from the total area of the composite shape.
The total area of the composite shape is given as 40 square inches. Since the two right triangles are congruent and have a height of 4 inches and a width of 3 inches, the area of one triangle is (1/2) * base * height = (1/2) * 3 * 4 = 6 square inches.
Therefore, the total area of both triangles is 6 + 6 = 12 square inches.
To find the area of the rectangle, we subtract the area of the triangles from the total area of the composite shape: 40 - 12 = 28 square inches.
So, the area of the rectangle within the composite shape is 28 square inches.
Use the image to answer the question.
A composite figure is comprised of a rectangle and two congruent right triangle on either side. The triangle have a height of 4 inches and a width of 3 inches.
The composite shape in the image has an area of 40 square inches. What is the area of the rectangle within the composite shape?
1 answer