
Pythagorean Theorem and Area Calculation Applied
The Pythagorean theorem yields the equation:
\[ (x + 4)^2 + 10^2 = (x + 6)^2 \]
Expand both sides of the equation:
\[ (x + 4)^2 + 100 = (x + 6)^2 \]
Expand the squared terms:
\[ (x^2 + 8x + 16) + 100 = x^2 + 12x + 36 \]
Simplify:
\[ x^2 + 8x + 116 = x^2 + 12x + 36 \]
Cancel \(x^2\) from both sides:
\[ 8x + 116 = 12x + 36 \]
Isolate \(x\):
\[ 116 - 36 = 12x - 8x \]
\[ 80 = 4x \]
\[ x = \frac{80}{4} = 20 \]
Given base \(b = 10\) and height \(h = 24\). The triangle's area is calculated as:
\[ \text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height} \]
Substitute the values:
\[ \text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times 10 \times 24 = 120 \, \text{sq inches} \]
The triangle's area is 120 square inches.