The area of a triangular block is 16 squre inches. If the base of the triangle is twice the height, how long are the base and the height of the triangle?

The area of a triangle can be calculated using the formula

1/2 (base) (height)

Let's substitute our known values, letting x represent the value of the height of the triangle.

16 = 1/2 * x * 2x

Let's Simplify!

16 = x^2

Finally, lets take the square root of both sides, to get rid of the exponent on the right side of the equation.

x = positive OR negative 4.

However, because x is equal to the height, we know that it can't be negative, so we know that it is positive 4.

The height of the triangle = 4 inches

The base of the triangle = 2h = 8 inches