Leo+DadMade for Leo
Area of a Triangle
Rung 2 of 4 · The method

Actually Working One Out

You know why it's half a rectangle. Now let's make the calculation automatic, so you could do it half-asleep.


Practise Hit “New triangle”, work out the area in your head, then check yourself.
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Audio WalkthroughComing Soon
Video ExplainerComing Soon

Every single triangle area question is the same three moves. Get these into your bones and there's nothing left to be scared of.

The Three Moves

One — find the base and the height. Pick a side to be the base (any side will do — more on that later). The height is the straight-up distance from the opposite corner to that base, always at a right angle. In the toy they're already marked for you in teal and violet.

Two — write the formula and drop the numbers in. Area = ½ × base × height. Don't skip writing it — it stops silly slips.

Three — work it out. Multiply the base and height first, then halve it (or halve one of them first if that's easier).

A Worked One, Slowly

Base 10, height 4. Formula: ½ × 10 × 4. Multiply the base and height: 10 × 4 = 40. Halve it: 20. And because area measures the flat space covered, the units are square ones — so 20 cm² if those were centimetres.

Handy shortcut: if either the base or the height is an even number, halve that one first. Base 7, height 6? Halve the 6 to get 3, then 7 × 3 = 21. Much friendlier than halving 42.

Watch Your Units

Whatever the base and height are measured in, the answer is that unit squared. Metres give square metres (m²), centimetres give square centimetres (cm²). Saying the little “squared” out loud every time is a good habit — it's the difference between a fence and a paddock.

Us, Thinking Out Loud

Could you teach the three moves back to me without peeking?

Which felt slower — the multiplying, or the halving?