AREA

OF A
TRIANGLE

You probably already know the formula for the area of a triangle.
Area is one-half the base times the height.

1
A bh
2

Sometimes we know the length of two sides of a triangle and

the angle between them, but not necessarily the height. We
can use the trig we'd learned to come up with a formula for
finding the area of a triangle for this situation.
Let's draw a line and put in the height.
c

h
sin
a

a sin h

We can use either of the right

triangles formed and write a trig
function we know. We'll use the
one on the right.

1
A ba
bh sin
2

1
A ab sin
2

Often, we know the length of all three sides of a triangle, but

not necessarily the height. We can use the trig we've learned
to come up with a formula for finding the area of a triangle for
this situation as well. We'll start with the Law of Cosines

c 2 a 2 b 2 2ab cos
a 2 b2 c2
cos
2ab

solve for cos

substitute this for cos

Now take half angle formula:

1 cos
cos
2
2
1 cos
cos
2
2
2

square both sides

a 2 b2 c2
1
2
2ab
cos
2
2

a 2 b2 c2
1
get a common denominator on top
2
2ab
cos
(also moved terms around on top)
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

2
ab

c
2ab a b c
cos 2
2
4ab
2
2ab
cos

2
2
invert and multiply
factor
1
2
difference of squares to factor
a

2
cos

c - 2c = - c
2
4ab
1
Let s a b c so a b c 2 s
a

c
a

2
2
cos

Substitute and re-write 2nd factor

2
4ab
2

so you can substitute

factor out a 2

2s a b c 2c 2 s 2 s 2c 4s s c s s c
cos

2
4ab
4ab
4ab
ab
2


cos

2
2

s s c Finally square

root both sides

and get

ab

s s c

cos
2
ab

We now need to do the same thing with the sine half angle
formula to get an equation involving sine.
Equation we
Take half angle formula:
got before
from Law of

1 cos
sin
square both sides
Cosines
2
2

a 2 b2 c2
cos
2ab

1 cos
sin

2
2
2

a b c
1
2
2ab
sin

2
2
2

substitute
this for cos

2ab a 2 b 2 c 2
2
2ab
sin

2
2
1

Factor out a negative and

invert and multiply the bottom
to get:

sin

2
2

c a b
2

4ab

c a b c a b

4ab

1
a b c so a b c 2s
2

sin
2

s b s a
ab

sin

2
2

c 2 a 2 2ab b 2
4ab

c a b c a b
4ab

Factor
Factor-difference
of squares

a b c 2b a b c 2a

4ab
factor a 2 out of each
2s 2b 2s 2a
4ab
Now we'll go
back to area
of triangle

4 s b s a
4ab

s s c

cos
2
ab

s s c

cos
2
ab

s b s a

sin
2

ab

1
A ab sin
2

sin 2 2sin cos

Double Angle Formula --- Replace with

2

A ab 2sin cos
2
2
2

A ab

s b s a
ab

sin 2sin cos

2
2

s s c

ab

This is called
Heron's
Formula

becomes ab squared which square rooted will be ab in the

denominator which will cancel with ab out in front

1
A

s
s

a
s

b
s

A s s a s b s c where s a b c
2

1
A s s a s b s c where s a b c
2
Find the area of a triangle with sides measuring
3 cm, 4 cm and 6 cm.
4
3

1
13
s 3 4 6
2
2

13 13 13
13
A
3

4
6

2 2
2
2

A 5.33 cm2

Acknowledgement
I wish to thank Shawna Haider from Salt Lake Community College, Utah
USA for her hard work in creating this PowerPoint.
www.slcc.edu
Shawna has kindly given permission for this resource to be downloaded
from www.mathxtc.com and for it to be modified to suit the Western
Australian Mathematics Curriculum.

Stephen Corcoran
Head of Mathematics
St Stephens School Carramar
www.ststephens.wa.edu.au