Question

How do you find the area of a triangle whose vertices are a(2,4) b(-2,0) and C(4,-2)?

Answer 1

I found an area of `16` units of area.

Explanation:

Here I would use a matrix/determinant method where the area `A` can be found as:
`Area=+-1/2|(2,4,1),(-2,0,1),(4,-2,1)|=+1/2*32=16`
This formula is based upon the evaluation of the determinant of the matrix formed by the coordinates of the vertices of the triangle with a column of `1` (on the right) times `1/2`. The `+-` sign is to ensure a positive area (in the case that the choice of order of disposition of vertices in the matrix gives you a negative area).