Area From Base and Height
The base of a triangle is \(18\), and the height to it is \(7\). Find the area of the triangle.
Use the formula \(S=\frac{1}{2}ah\).
By the area formula, \(S=\frac{1}{2}\cdot18\cdot7=63\).
Chapter
Theory
Area often replaces long arguments with angles and similarity. If two triangles have a common height, their areas are in the ratio of their bases. If they have a common base, their areas are in the ratio of their heights.
In olympiad problems, area is useful as a “weight”: split a figure into parts, compare the parts, and add or subtract equal areas.
The area of a triangle is \(S=\frac{1}{2}ah\), where \(a\) is the chosen base and \(h\) is the height to it.
If two triangles have equal bases and equal heights, then their areas are equal. If their heights are equal, their areas are in the ratio of their bases. If their bases are equal, their areas are in the ratio of their heights.
A median divides a triangle into two equal-area triangles, because the two bases on one side are equal and the height to that side is common.
If point \(D\) lies on side \(BC\) of triangle \(ABC\), then \(S_{ABD}:S_{ACD}=BD:DC\). This is one of the main patterns of the module.
In a parallelogram, a diagonal halves the area. In a trapezoid, diagonals and midlines are often studied through areas of triangles whose bases lie on parallel lines.
Try areas when a problem contains midpoints, medians, points on one side, parallel lines, ratios of segments, or asks to prove equality of segments without obvious similarity.
Areas are especially useful when several triangles have the same height, when vertices lie on a line parallel to the base, or when a figure is split by intersecting segments.
Look for a common base or a common height. If two vertices lie on a line parallel to the base, their heights to this base are equal. If a base is divided in the ratio \(m:n\), then the areas of triangles with the same opposite vertex are also in the ratio \(m:n\).
For area chasing, it is convenient to denote several small areas by letters and write the equalities produced by medians, parallel lines, or common heights.
Do not compare areas just from the drawing. You must explicitly state that the bases are equal, the heights are equal, or the heights are in a known ratio.
Do not confuse area ratios with side ratios in similar triangles: if similarity is used, areas are in the square of the similarity ratio. If a common height is used, areas are in the ratio of the bases.
In area chasing, add and subtract areas of the same regions. Do not subtract equalities unless it is clear which regions each area contains.
1. Which base should be chosen? 2. Is there a common height? 3. Are there equal bases or midpoints? 4. Can an area ratio be replaced by a segment ratio? 5. Which small regions should be named? 6. Should equal areas be added or subtracted?
Examples
Basic technique: choose a base and the height to it.
Problem. A triangle has base \(13\) and height to this base \(8\). Find its area.
By the triangle area formula, \(S=\frac{1}{2}ah\). Therefore \(S=\frac{1}{2}\cdot13\cdot8=52\).
If the opposite vertex is common and the bases lie on one line, the height is the same.
Problem. In triangle \(ABC\), point \(D\) lies on side \(BC\), and \(BD:DC=2:5\). Find \(S_{ABD}:S_{ACD}\).
Triangles \(ABD\) and \(ACD\) have a common height from point \(A\) to line \(BC\). Therefore their areas are in the ratio of their bases: \(S_{ABD}:S_{ACD}=BD:DC=2:5\).
A median is one of the most common sources of equal areas.
Problem. In triangle \(ABC\), point \(M\) is the midpoint of \(BC\). Prove that \(S_{ABM}=S_{ACM}\).
Triangles \(ABM\) and \(ACM\) have equal bases \(BM\) and \(CM\), and the height from point \(A\) to line \(BC\) is common. Hence their areas are equal.
Parallel lines often give equal heights.
Problem. Points \(A\) and \(B\) lie on one line, and points \(C\) and \(D\) lie on a line parallel to \(AB\). Prove that \(S_{ABC}=S_{ABD}\).
Triangles \(ABC\) and \(ABD\) have common base \(AB\). The heights from points \(C\) and \(D\) to line \(AB\) are equal because \(C\) and \(D\) lie on a line parallel to \(AB\). Therefore the areas are equal.
Every point on a median gives equal areas with the two halves of the base.
Problem. In triangle \(ABC\), median \(AM\) is drawn to side \(BC\). Point \(P\) lies on \(AM\). Prove that \(S_{PAB}=S_{PAC}\).
Since \(P\) lies on median \(AM\), line \(AP\) passes through the midpoint \(M\) of side \(BC\). Triangles \(PAB\) and \(PAC\) have common base \(AP\). Points \(B\) and \(C\) are equally distant from line \(AP\), because \(M\) is the midpoint of \(BC\). Hence the areas are equal.
A parallelogram is conveniently cut by a diagonal into two equal-area triangles.
Problem. Prove that diagonal \(AC\) of parallelogram \(ABCD\) halves its area.
Triangles \(ABC\) and \(ACD\) have common base \(AC\). Since \(AB\parallel CD\), the heights from points \(B\) and \(D\) to line \(AC\) are equal. Therefore \(S_{ABC}=S_{ACD}\), and the diagonal halves the area of the parallelogram.
If a point moves along a segment toward the base, its height to the base changes linearly.
Problem. Triangle \(ABC\) has area \(90\). Point \(D\) lies on \(BC\), and point \(E\) lies on \(AD\), with \(AE:ED=1:2\). Find \(S_{BCE}\).
Triangles \(BCE\) and \(BCA\) have common base \(BC\). The height of point \(E\) to \(BC\) is \(\frac{2}{3}\) of the height of point \(A\), because \(AE:ED=1:2\). Therefore \(S_{BCE}=\frac{2}{3}S_{ABC}=60\).
The medians of a triangle divide it into six equal-area small triangles.
Problem. In triangle \(ABC\), the medians meet at point \(G\). Prove that the six small triangles around \(G\) have equal areas.
The intersection point of the medians divides each median in the ratio \(2:1\). Consider two small regions on opposite sides of one median: they have equal bases on a side of the triangle and a common height from \(G\). This gives pairs of equal areas. Also, each median halves the whole triangle. Comparing the halves, we get that all six small areas are equal.
In a trapezoid, it is useful to compare triangles with bases on parallel lines.
Problem. In trapezoid \(ABCD\), bases \(AD\parallel BC\), and the diagonals meet at point \(O\). Prove that \(S_{AOB}=S_{COD}\).
Triangles \(ABD\) and \(ACD\) have common base \(AD\), and the heights from points \(B\) and \(C\) to \(AD\) are equal because \(BC\parallel AD\). Hence \(S_{ABD}=S_{ACD}\). Subtracting the common area \(S_{AOD}\), we obtain \(S_{AOB}=S_{COD}\).
If three small areas are equal, the point lies on the medians.
Problem. Point \(P\) lies inside triangle \(ABC\), and \(S_{PAB}=S_{PAC}=S_{PBC}\). Prove that \(P\) is the intersection point of the medians.
From \(S_{PAB}=S_{PAC}\), points \(B\) and \(C\) have equal distances to line \(AP\). Hence line \(AP\) passes through the midpoint of \(BC\), so it is a median. Similarly, from \(S_{PAB}=S_{PBC}\), line \(BP\) is a median. The intersection of two medians is the centroid, so \(P\) is the intersection point of the medians.
Problems
The base of a triangle is \(18\), and the height to it is \(7\). Find the area of the triangle.
Use the formula \(S=\frac{1}{2}ah\).
By the area formula, \(S=\frac{1}{2}\cdot18\cdot7=63\).
In triangle \(ABC\), point \(D\) lies on side \(BC\). Prove that \(S_{ABD}:S_{ACD}=BD:DC\).
Triangles \(ABD\) and \(ACD\) have a common height from \(A\).
Both triangles have the height from point \(A\) to line \(BC\). Therefore their areas are in the ratio of their bases on this line: \(S_{ABD}:S_{ACD}=BD:DC\).
In triangle \(ABC\), point \(M\) is the midpoint of side \(BC\). Prove that \(S_{ABM}=S_{ACM}\).
Bases \(BM\) and \(CM\) are equal, and the height from \(A\) is common.
Since \(M\) is the midpoint of \(BC\), \(BM=CM\). Triangles \(ABM\) and \(ACM\) have the common height from \(A\) to line \(BC\). Therefore their areas are equal.
Points \(C\) and \(D\) lie on a line parallel to \(AB\). Prove that \(S_{ABC}=S_{ABD}\).
The triangles have common base \(AB\) and equal heights.
Triangles \(ABC\) and \(ABD\) have common base \(AB\). The heights from \(C\) and \(D\) to \(AB\) are equal because these points lie on a line parallel to \(AB\). Hence the areas are equal.
Prove that a diagonal of a parallelogram halves its area.
Compare the two triangles by the common diagonal and equal heights.
Let \(ABCD\) be a parallelogram. Diagonal \(AC\) divides it into triangles \(ABC\) and \(ACD\). They have common base \(AC\), and the heights from \(B\) and \(D\) to \(AC\) are equal because \(AB\parallel CD\). Hence these triangle areas are equal.
In triangle \(ABC\), point \(D\) lies on \(BC\), and \(BD:DC=3:4\). Find \(S_{ABD}:S_{ABC}\).
Area \(ABD\) is the same fraction of the whole as \(BD\) is of \(BC\).
Since \(BD:DC=3:4\), we have \(BD:BC=3:7\). Triangles \(ABD\) and \(ABC\) have the common height from \(A\) to \(BC\). Therefore \(S_{ABD}:S_{ABC}=BD:BC=3:7\).
Triangles \(ABC\) and \(ABD\) have common base \(AB\). Prove that if \(CD\parallel AB\), then \(S_{ABC}=S_{ABD}\).
The distances from \(C\) and \(D\) to line \(AB\) are equal.
Since \(CD\parallel AB\), points \(C\) and \(D\) lie on one line parallel to base \(AB\). Therefore the heights to base \(AB\) are equal. The base is common, so the areas are equal.
The area of triangle \(ABC\) is \(84\). Median \(AM\) is drawn to side \(BC\). Find \(S_{ABM}\).
A median halves the area of a triangle.
Median \(AM\) divides the triangle into two equal-area triangles. Therefore \(S_{ABM}=\frac{84}{2}=42\).
In triangle \(ABC\), the area is \(64\). Points \(D\) and \(E\) are the midpoints of sides \(AB\) and \(BC\). Find \(S_{BDE}\).
In triangles \(BDE\) and \(BAC\), the two sides from \(B\) are halved.
We have \(BD=\frac{1}{2}BA\) and \(BE=\frac{1}{2}BC\), and the angle at \(B\) is common. The area is reduced by \(2\cdot2=4\) times. Therefore \(S_{BDE}=\frac{64}{4}=16\).
In trapezoid \(ABCD\), bases \(AD\parallel BC\), \(AD=15\), \(BC=9\). Diagonal \(AC\) divides the trapezoid into triangles \(ABC\) and \(ACD\). Find \(S_{ABC}:S_{ACD}\).
The heights to the parallel bases are equal to the distance between the bases.
Triangles \(ABC\) and \(ACD\) have bases \(BC\) and \(AD\) on parallel lines, and the heights to these bases equal the distance between the bases of the trapezoid. Therefore \(S_{ABC}:S_{ACD}=BC:AD=9:15=3:5\).
In triangle \(ABC\), point \(D\) lies on \(BC\). It is known that \(S_{ABD}=24\), \(S_{ACD}=40\). Find \(BD:DC\).
These areas are in the ratio of bases \(BD\) and \(DC\).
Triangles \(ABD\) and \(ACD\) have the common height from \(A\). Therefore \(BD:DC=S_{ABD}:S_{ACD}=24:40=3:5\).
Triangles \(ABC\) and \(ABD\) have common base \(AB\), and points \(C\) and \(D\) lie on the same side of \(AB\). It is known that \(S_{ABC}=S_{ABD}\). Prove that \(CD\parallel AB\).
Equal areas with a common base give equal heights to this base.
Since base \(AB\) is common and the areas are equal, the heights from \(C\) and \(D\) to \(AB\) are equal. Points on the same side of \(AB\) at the same distance from \(AB\) lie on a line parallel to \(AB\). Hence \(CD\parallel AB\).
In triangle \(ABC\), medians \(AD\), \(BE\), \(CF\) meet at point \(G\). Prove that the six triangles \(AGF\), \(BGF\), \(BGD\), \(CGD\), \(CGE\), \(AGE\) have equal areas.
Use that each median halves the area, then compare the halves.
Denote the areas of \(AGF\), \(BGF\), \(BGD\), \(CGD\), \(CGE\), \(AGE\) in order by \(x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4,x_5,x_6\). Since \(F,D,E\) are side midpoints, we get \(x_1=x_2\), \(x_3=x_4\), \(x_5=x_6\). Median \(AD\) halves the whole triangle, so \(x_1+x_2+x_3=x_4+x_5+x_6\). Median \(BE\) gives \(x_1+x_2+x_6=x_3+x_4+x_5\). Substituting the pairwise equalities, we get \(x_1=x_5\) and \(x_1=x_3\). Hence all six areas are equal.
In triangle \(ABC\), points \(D\in AB\), \(E\in AC\), and \(DE\parallel BC\). It is known that \(AD:DB=2:3\). Find \(S_{ADE}:S_{ABC}\).
Triangles \(ADE\) and \(ABC\) are similar; areas are in the square of the ratio.
Since \(DE\parallel BC\), \(\triangle ADE\sim\triangle ABC\). We have \(AD:AB=2:5\). Therefore the area ratio equals the square of the side ratio: \(S_{ADE}:S_{ABC}=4:25\).
On side \(BC\) of triangle \(ABC\), points \(D\) and \(E\) are marked so that \(BD=DE=EC\). Prove that \(S_{ABD}=S_{ADE}=S_{AEC}\).
All three triangles have the height from \(A\) to line \(BC\).
Triangles \(ABD\), \(ADE\), \(AEC\) have bases \(BD\), \(DE\), \(EC\) on one line \(BC\) and a common height from \(A\). Since the bases are equal, the areas are equal.
In parallelogram \(ABCD\), point \(P\) lies on diagonal \(AC\). Prove that \(S_{ABP}=S_{ADP}\).
Compare the fractions of areas of triangles \(ABC\) and \(ACD\) cut by point \(P\) on the common diagonal.
Let \(AP:PC=t:(1-t)\). In triangle \(ABC\), \(S_{ABP}:S_{PBC}=AP:PC\), so \(S_{ABP}=tS_{ABC}\). Similarly, in triangle \(ACD\), \(S_{ADP}=tS_{ACD}\). But a diagonal of a parallelogram divides it into two equal-area triangles: \(S_{ABC}=S_{ACD}\). Hence \(S_{ABP}=S_{ADP}\).
In triangle \(ABC\), through point \(D\) on side \(BC\), a line parallel to \(AC\) meets \(AB\) at point \(E\). It is known that \(BD:DC=2:3\). Find \(S_{BDE}:S_{ABC}\).
Triangles \(BDE\) and \(BCA\) are similar.
Since \(DE\parallel AC\), \(\triangle BDE\sim\triangle BCA\). We have \(BD:BC=2:5\). Therefore areas are in the ratio of squares of corresponding sides: \(S_{BDE}:S_{ABC}=4:25\).
In triangle \(ABC\), median \(AM\) is drawn to side \(BC\). Point \(P\) lies on \(AM\). Prove that \(S_{PAB}=S_{PAC}\).
Line \(AP\) passes through the midpoint of \(BC\).
Since \(P\) lies on \(AM\), line \(AP\) is the median and passes through the midpoint \(M\) of side \(BC\). Triangles \(PAB\) and \(PAC\) have common base \(AP\). Points \(B\) and \(C\) are at equal distances from line \(AP\), so the areas are equal.
Point \(P\) lies inside triangle \(ABC\). It is known that \(S_{PAB}=S_{PAC}\). Prove that line \(AP\) passes through the midpoint of \(BC\).
Triangles \(PAB\) and \(PAC\) have common base \(AP\).
Triangles \(PAB\) and \(PAC\) have common base \(AP\). Equality of their areas implies that the distances from \(B\) and \(C\) to line \(AP\) are equal. Since \(B\) and \(C\) lie on opposite sides of \(AP\), line \(AP\) passes through the midpoint of \(BC\). Thus \(AP\) is a median.
The area of triangle \(ABC\) is \(90\). Point \(D\) lies on \(BC\), and point \(E\) lies on \(AD\), with \(AE:ED=1:2\). Find \(S_{BCE}\).
Compare the heights from \(E\) and \(A\) to base \(BC\).
Triangles \(BCE\) and \(BCA\) have common base \(BC\). Since \(AE:ED=1:2\), point \(E\) is \(\frac{1}{3}\) of the way from \(A\) to \(D\), where \(D\) lies on \(BC\). Therefore the height from \(E\) to \(BC\) is \(\frac{2}{3}\) of the height from \(A\). Hence \(S_{BCE}=\frac{2}{3}\cdot90=60\).
Point \(P\) lies inside triangle \(ABC\). It is known that \(S_{PAB}=S_{PBC}=S_{PCA}\). Prove that \(P\) is the intersection point of the medians of the triangle.
Use equality of two areas with a common base to obtain a median.
From \(S_{PAB}=S_{PCA}\), line \(AP\) passes through the midpoint of \(BC\), so \(AP\) is a median. From \(S_{PAB}=S_{PBC}\), line \(BP\) passes through the midpoint of \(AC\), so \(BP\) is a median. Therefore \(P\) is the intersection of two medians, hence the centroid of the triangle.
Triangle \(ABC\) has area \(120\). Point \(D\) lies on \(BC\). Point \(E\) lies on \(AD\), with \(AE:ED=3:2\). Find \(S_{BCE}\).
You need the fraction \(ED:AD\), not \(AE:AD\).
Triangles \(BCE\) and \(BCA\) have common base \(BC\). The height of point \(E\) to \(BC\) is \(ED:AD\) of the height of point \(A\), because \(D\) lies on \(BC\). From \(AE:ED=3:2\), we get \(ED:AD=2:5\). Therefore \(S_{BCE}=\frac{2}{5}\cdot120=48\).
In convex quadrilateral \(ABCD\), the diagonals meet at point \(O\). Prove that \(S_{AOB}\cdot S_{COD}=S_{BOC}\cdot S_{DOA}\).
Write each of the four triangle areas using two sides and the sine of the angle between the diagonals.
Let the angle between the diagonals be \(\varphi\). Then \(S_{AOB}=\frac{1}{2}AO\cdot BO\sin\varphi\), \(S_{COD}=\frac{1}{2}CO\cdot DO\sin\varphi\). Similarly, \(S_{BOC}=\frac{1}{2}BO\cdot CO\sin\varphi\), \(S_{DOA}=\frac{1}{2}DO\cdot AO\sin\varphi\). The products on the left and right are identical, so the equality is proved.
In trapezoid \(ABCD\), bases \(AD\parallel BC\), and the diagonals meet at point \(O\). Prove that \(S_{AOB}=S_{COD}\).
Compare areas \(ABD\) and \(ACD\), then subtract the common part.
Triangles \(ABD\) and \(ACD\) have common base \(AD\). The heights from \(B\) and \(C\) to \(AD\) are equal because \(BC\parallel AD\). Therefore \(S_{ABD}=S_{ACD}\). Subtract the common triangle \(AOD\) from both areas: we get \(S_{AOB}=S_{COD}\).
In triangle \(ABC\), point \(D\) lies on \(BC\), with \(BD:DC=2:3\). Through \(D\), a line parallel to \(AC\) meets \(AB\) at point \(E\). Prove that \(S_{BDE}:S_{ADEC}=4:21\), where \(ADEC\) is the remaining part of the triangle.
First find \(S_{BDE}:S_{ABC}\).
Triangles \(BDE\) and \(BCA\) are similar because \(DE\parallel AC\). The similarity ratio is \(BD:BC=2:5\). Therefore \(S_{BDE}:S_{ABC}=4:25\). The remaining part \(ADEC\) has area \(21\) parts out of \(25\). Hence \(S_{BDE}:S_{ADEC}=4:21\).
Point \(P\) lies inside parallelogram \(ABCD\). Prove that \(S_{PAB}+S_{PCD}=\frac{1}{2}S_{ABCD}\).
Sides \(AB\) and \(CD\) are equal and parallel; the sum of the heights from \(P\) to them equals the height of the parallelogram.
Let the distances from \(P\) to lines \(AB\) and \(CD\) be \(h_1\) and \(h_2\). Then \(h_1+h_2\) equals the height of the parallelogram to base \(AB\). Therefore \(S_{PAB}+S_{PCD}=\frac{1}{2}AB\cdot h_1+\frac{1}{2}CD\cdot h_2\). Since \(AB=CD\), this is \(\frac{1}{2}AB(h_1+h_2)=\frac{1}{2}S_{ABCD}\).
In triangle \(ABC\), lines \(AD\), \(BE\), \(CF\) meet at one point \(P\), where \(D\in BC\), \(E\in CA\), \(F\in AB\). Prove that \(\frac{BD}{DC}\cdot\frac{CE}{EA}\cdot\frac{AF}{FB}=1\).
Express each segment ratio through area ratios of triangles with vertex \(P\).
Since \(P,A,D\) are collinear, triangles \(ABP\) and \(PBD\) have heights to this line from \(B\), and triangles \(ACP\) and \(PCD\) have heights from \(C\). Comparing fractions on the same line gives \(\frac{BD}{DC}=\frac{S_{ABP}}{S_{ACP}}\). Similarly, \(\frac{CE}{EA}=\frac{S_{BCP}}{S_{ABP}}\) and \(\frac{AF}{FB}=\frac{S_{ACP}}{S_{BCP}}\). Multiplying, we get \(1\).
In triangle \(ABC\), lines \(AD\), \(BE\), \(CF\) meet at one point, where \(D\in BC\), \(E\in CA\), \(F\in AB\). It is known that \(BD:DC=2:3\), \(CE:EA=3:4\). Find \(AF:FB\).
Use the product \(\frac{BD}{DC}\cdot\frac{CE}{EA}\cdot\frac{AF}{FB}=1\).
By the area form of Ceva's theorem, \(\frac{BD}{DC}\cdot\frac{CE}{EA}\cdot\frac{AF}{FB}=1\). Substitute: \(\frac{2}{3}\cdot\frac{3}{4}\cdot\frac{AF}{FB}=1\). We get \(\frac{1}{2}\cdot\frac{AF}{FB}=1\), hence \(AF:FB=2:1\).
In triangle \(ABC\), the medians from \(A\) and \(B\) meet at point \(G\). Line \(CG\) meets \(AB\) at point \(F\). Prove that \(AF=FB\).
A point on a median gives two equal areas. Apply this to two medians.
Since \(G\) lies on the median from \(A\), we have \(S_{GAB}=S_{GAC}\). Since \(G\) lies on the median from \(B\), we have \(S_{GAB}=S_{GBC}\). Hence \(S_{GAC}=S_{GBC}\). Triangles \(GAC\) and \(GBC\) have common base \(GC\), so points \(A\) and \(B\) are at equal distances from line \(GC\). Therefore line \(GC\) passes through the midpoint of \(AB\), that is, \(AF=FB\).
In triangle \(ABC\), points \(D\in BC\), \(E\in CA\), \(F\in AB\). It is known that \(BD:DC=2:3\), \(CE:EA=3:5\), \(AF:FB=5:2\). Prove that lines \(AD\), \(BE\), \(CF\) meet at one point.
Check the product of the three ratios.
We have \(\frac{BD}{DC}\cdot\frac{CE}{EA}\cdot\frac{AF}{FB}=\frac{2}{3}\cdot\frac{3}{5}\cdot\frac{5}{2}=1\). By the converse form of the area version of Ceva's theorem, product \(1\) implies that lines \(AD\), \(BE\), \(CF\) are concurrent, meaning they meet at one point.
There is one grid rectangle of each size \(1\times1,1\times2,1\times3,\ldots,1\times N\), where \(N\ge2\). Can one choose some of them and tile a grid square of area greater than \(1\) without overlaps?
C. Hint 1. Take the longest chosen rectangle.
D. Hint 2. If a \(1\times n\) rectangle is chosen, the square side is at least \(n\), but the total area of all chosen rectangles of length at most \(n\) is small.
E. Full solution.
Assume such a square has been tiled, and let \(1\times n\) be the longest chosen rectangle. Since the square has area greater than \(1\), we have \(n>1\).
The rectangle \(1\times n\) must fit inside the square, even if rotated. Therefore the side length of the square is at least \(n\), and its area is at least \(n^2\).
On the other hand, the chosen rectangles can only be among \(1\times1,1\times2,\ldots,1\times n\). Their total area is at most \(1+2+\cdots+n=\frac{n(n+1)}{2}\).
For \(n>1\), \(\frac{n(n+1)}{2} Therefore a square of area greater than \(1\) cannot be tiled in this way.
Ladders