Question

The diagonals of a rhombus are 12 in. and 16 in. long. The length of a side of the rhombus is 10 in. What is the height of the rhombus? Explain how you found your answer.

Answer 1

If d₁ and d₂ are the lengths of the diagonals, the area is given by
.. A = (1/2)*d₁*d₂
.. A = (1/2)*(12 in)*(16 in)
.. A = 96 in²

If b is the base and h is the height, the area is given by
.. A = b*h
We know the values of A and b, so
.. 96 in² = (10 in)*h
.. (96 in²)/(10 in) = h = 9.6 in

The height is 9.6 in.