What is the correct formula to calculate the area of a triangle?

The area of a triangle can be calculated using the formula that involves the base and height of the triangle. The correct method takes the base of the triangle, multiplies it by the height (which is the perpendicular distance from the base to the apex), and then divides this product by 2. This division by 2 accounts for the fact that a triangle can be thought of as half of a rectangle that shares the same base and height.

This means that to find the total area, you start with the rectangle's area (base times height) and then realize that the triangle occupies precisely half of that space. Therefore, the correct formula to find the area of a triangle is base times height divided by 2.

Other options do not accurately represent how to calculate the area of a triangle. For example, simply multiplying base by height (without dividing by 2) gives the area of a rectangle, not a triangle. The formula involving the sum of the base and height does not yield a valid area calculation for any triangle as it does not reflect the relationship of these dimensions in determining area. Lastly, base squared times height does not correspond to any standard geometric figure's area formula and would result in incorrect units for area.