To find the area of a triangle, you can use the formula:
\[ \text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height} \]
For the safety sign, the base is 28 inches and the height is 20 inches. Plugging in these values:
\[ \text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 28 \times 20 \]
Calculating this step-by-step:
- First, calculate the product of the base and height:
\[ 28 \times 20 = 560 \]
- Now, take half of this product:
\[ \text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 560 = 280 \]
Therefore, the area of the sign is 280 square inches.
So, the answer is: To make the sign, 280 square inches of metal are needed.