A triangle can be defined as a polygon with three sides and three vertices that are joined end to end to form a closed figure. When a student is introduced to triangles, he starts learning about the different types of triangles such as equilateral, right, scalene triangles, etc. They also learn about the different properties associated with them and certain computations, such as finding the area of scalene triangle.
In this article, we will learn more about a scalene triangle and how to find its perimeter and area.
What is a Scalene Triangle?
When we categorize triangles on the basis of sides, we have three types, namely, equilateral triangle, isosceles triangle, and scalene triangle. Equilateral triangles have all sides equal, while isosceles triangles have two sides equal. A scalene triangle is one where all sides are unequal. This means that all the sides of a scalene triangle have a different length. A real-life example of a scalene triangle could be the sail of a sailboat. The sail is in the shape of a triangle with all sides of unequal length.
Properties of a Scalene triangle
- All angles are unequal
- A scalene triangle does not have a line of symmetry and cannot be divided into two equal parts
- The angle opposite to the shortest side is the smallest and vice versa
Area of a Scalene triangle
The area of a triangle can be defined as the region that is enclosed by the three sides of that triangle. There are several methods that can be used to calculate the area of triangle with 3 sides of unequal lengths, as listed below.
1. Heron’s Formula
When the length of all three sides is known, this formula can be applied. Say we have a triangle with side lengths given by t, v, and w. Then the Heron’s formula is given by:
A = s (s – t) (s – v) (s – w) where s stands for the semi – perimeter of the triangle and is given by:
s = ( t + v + w) / 2
2. Base and Height Formula
If we know the length of any one side and its corresponding height, this formula can be used. Say we have a triangle with side length t and height u. The base and height formula is applied as:
A = ½ (base) (height)
A = ½ (t) (u)
