Two sides of a rhombus form a 120º angle. The length of each side is 6 in. Explain how to find the area of the rhombus, and then calculate the area. Leave your answer in simplest radical form.

Answer 1

For any triangle with sides a and b,
the area is (1/2)ab sinØ , where Ø is the angle between them
Your rhombus can be split into 2 congruent triangles
so the area of a rhombus would be
absinØ,
= (6)(6)sin120° = 36(√3/2)
= 18√3 square inches