SAT Math question (easy..please help!)

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>What is the greatest possible area of a triangle with one side of length 7 and the other 10? </p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>22.6
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3

<p>Use calculus (optimization)</p>

4

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/667622-need-help-math-q.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/667622-need-help-math-q.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Google search is your friend.</p>

5

<p>The answer is 35. I already saw that, but I don’t understand how we can assume that it will be a right triangle? And I haven’t taken calculus.</p>

6

<p>Imagine two sticks of lengths 7 and 10 attached at one end. Lay them both on the ground. Keep the stick of length 10 in place and rotate the stick of length 7. </p>

<p>The stick of length 10 will be the “base” and it will not change. The area of a triangle is (1/2)<em>base</em>height. The only quantity you can change, by rotating the stick of length 7, is the height. And the greatest you can make that height is 7.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for your explanation Jeff, I got it! :)</p>