Find the area of the figure. Hint: Separate into regular shapes and combine the areas!

Shapes: 1 rectangle and 2 triangles
Triangle 1: 5 in and 3 in
Triangle 2: 5 in and 3 in
Rectangle: 8 in and 2 in
A = [ ? ] in²
Area Formulas: B x H and B x H/2

1 answer

To find the area of the figure, we will calculate the areas of the rectangle and the two triangles separately and then combine them.

  1. Area of the Rectangle: The formula for the area of a rectangle is: \[ A = B \times H \] where \( B \) is the base and \( H \) is the height.

    For the rectangle:

    • Base \( B = 8 , \text{in} \)
    • Height \( H = 2 , \text{in} \)

    So, the area of the rectangle is: \[ A_{\text{rectangle}} = 8 , \text{in} \times 2 , \text{in} = 16 , \text{in}^2 \]

  2. Area of Triangle 1: The formula for the area of a triangle is: \[ A = \frac{B \times H}{2} \] where \( B \) is the base and \( H \) is the height.

    For Triangle 1:

    • Base \( B = 5 , \text{in} \)
    • Height \( H = 3 , \text{in} \)

    So, the area of Triangle 1 is: \[ A_{\text{triangle1}} = \frac{5 , \text{in} \times 3 , \text{in}}{2} = \frac{15 , \text{in}^2}{2} = 7.5 , \text{in}^2 \]

  3. Area of Triangle 2: Triangle 2 has the same dimensions as Triangle 1 (5 in and 3 in).

    So, the area of Triangle 2 is also: \[ A_{\text{triangle2}} = \frac{5 , \text{in} \times 3 , \text{in}}{2} = \frac{15 , \text{in}^2}{2} = 7.5 , \text{in}^2 \]

  4. Total Area: Now, we combine all the areas: \[ A_{\text{total}} = A_{\text{rectangle}} + A_{\text{triangle1}} + A_{\text{triangle2}} \] \[ A_{\text{total}} = 16 , \text{in}^2 + 7.5 , \text{in}^2 + 7.5 , \text{in}^2 \] \[ A_{\text{total}} = 16 , \text{in}^2 + 15 , \text{in}^2 \] \[ A_{\text{total}} = 31 , \text{in}^2 \]

Thus, the total area of the figure is: \[ \boxed{31 , \text{in}^2} \]