Question

Carter is building a model sailboat. The boat will have two triangular sails. One sail will have a base of 24 inches and a height of 56 inches. The other sail will have a base of 14 inches and a height of 33 inches. What is the minimum amount of material Carter needs to build the sails?

Answer 1

To find the minimum amount of material needed to build the sails, we need to calculate the area of each triangular sail and then add them together.

The formula to find the area of a triangle is:

Area = (1/2) * base * height

Let's calculate the area of each sail:

Sail 1:

Base = 24 inches

Height = 56 inches

Area = (1/2) * 24 * 56 = 672 square inches

Sail 2:

Base = 14 inches

Height = 33 inches

Area = (1/2) * 14 * 33 = 231 square inches

Now, add the areas of both sails together to find the minimum amount of material needed:

Total area = 672 + 231 = 903 square inches

Carter needs a minimum of 903 square inches of material to build the sails for his model sailboat.