The mayor is trying to decide if she wants a triangular sitting area or a parallelogram sitting area. The formulas for area of a
triangle and area of a parallelogram are similar. Describe how to calculate the area of each shape and how the area of a triangle is related to that of a parallelogram.
The formula for the area of a parallelogram is A = bh, and the formula for area of a triangle is A = 1/2bh. Since a triangle is half of the area of a parallelogram with the same base and height, the only difference in the formula is 1/2.
The answer is The formula for the area of a parallelogram is A = bh, and the formula for area of a triangle is A = 1/2bh. Since a triangle is half of the area of a parallelogram with the same base and height, the only difference in the formula is 1/2.