the height of a triangle is 4cm shorter than its base. if the triangle has an area of 48cm2, find the length of the base of the triangle.

Answer 1

Let h=height
base, b =h+4

Area of triangle
=bh/2
=(h+4)h/2
or
h(h+4)/2 = 48
Solve for h.
h²+4h-96=0
(h-12)(h+8)=0
h=12 or h=-8 (reject negative root)