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Discussion Forum

How to find the square feet of a tria…

| Posted in General Discussion on January 2, 2001 05:11am

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  1. Gabe_Martel | Dec 16, 2000 04:25pm | #1

    *
    Is this a joke?

    Gabe

    1. David_Thomas | Dec 16, 2000 04:49pm | #2

      *This could be done several ways with a barometer.Measure the base and height in units of barometers. Multiple together, divide by 2, then divide by 2.5069 square barometers/square foot.Throw the barometer along the base and the height at 14 meters per second (Swedish National Standard for curling pitches). Multiple the two transit times. Multiply by 632.2568. Walk up the job-site foreman and say, "I'll give you this nice barometer if you tell me how many square feet are in that triangle." -David

      1. Joe_Hennessey | Dec 16, 2000 05:58pm | #3

        *David, Is Swedish curling like that game they play in Canada with rocks & brooms? Looks like syncronized floor scrubbing on ice? Couldn't you use the broom handles as units of triangulaton to produce a equally accurate measurement? Or do I need to go back to school? Joe H

        1. jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Dec 16, 2000 06:32pm | #4

          *Larry - Multiply the base times the height, then divide by two. I know for sure this works for "right triangles", since that's what carpenters deal with all the time. I'm pretty sure it works for other triangles as well, but I can't say for certain.

          1. Stray_ | Dec 16, 2000 06:59pm | #5

            *Jim,Right triangles only...

          2. Mongo_ | Dec 16, 2000 07:08pm | #6

            *If the triangle isn't a right triangle, simply break it into two right triangles. Easiest way is to draw a line perpendicular to one side that intersects the opposite angle. Depending on the shape of the tri, some sides work better than others. Then sum the area of the two smaller triangles.If that's too confusing, ask one of your kids.

          3. kkearney | Dec 16, 2000 07:27pm | #7

            *Larry,Go to http://mathforum.com/dr.math/faq/formulas/faq.triangle.htmlKK

          4. Luka_ | Dec 16, 2000 07:56pm | #8

            *Feet aren't square.What kinda clodhoppers were you born with ?

          5. JRS | Dec 16, 2000 09:06pm | #9

            *Jim,1/2 base times hight for b any triangle.(sorry Stray) The requirement is that the hight measurement must be taken perpendicular to any side of the triangle. It's not necessary to sum the two triangles formed by the perpendicular, as long as you use the total lenghth of the base, times the hight and divide the result by 2.John

          6. Bearmon_ | Dec 16, 2000 09:41pm | #10

            *Larry, do you remember anything at all from school?

          7. Keith_C | Dec 16, 2000 10:02pm | #11

            *He was "absent" the day they covered area of a triangle. Hope he was there for the safety lessons in shop. Can we count the digits on the floor????

          8. Ted_LaRue_ | Dec 16, 2000 11:15pm | #12

            *In some situations it may be easier to compute the area using only the lengths of the sides. (This formula is known as Hero's Formula.)If the lengths of the sides are a, b, and c, then1) compute S = (a + b + c) / 22) then use that result in the formula Area = sqrt(S x (S-a) x (S-b) x (S-c))That's an alternative to the usual Area = 1/2(base x altitude)

          9. Danny_Waite | Dec 17, 2000 05:06am | #13

            *You guys think Larry has problems with math? My ex neighbor was a fifth grade teacher who had to have me figure out the square footage of his kitchen floor.

          10. Gabe_Martel | Dec 17, 2000 05:19am | #14

            *Naw Danny, he knew the formula but he was just lonely.:) Gabe

          11. Larry_53 | Dec 18, 2000 03:27pm | #15

            *Jim, thank you for a straight answer to my question. Larry

          12. jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Dec 18, 2000 06:41pm | #16

            *Don't take offense at those other posts Larry. Carpenters deal with geometry so often we just take it for granted and don't even realize that we know it. These are all good guys here who'd help you any way they could.

          13. The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Dec 18, 2000 09:56pm | #17

            *Another neat way to figure areas....with an accurate scale....draw the shape you want on paper....cut out the part you want to know the area of and weigh it....then set up a proportion of it to the total weight of the whole sheet...Walla...very easy...I would bet it's in Joe's manual next to the ball of string roofing section.near the stream,aj

          14. Mr._Pita | Dec 19, 2000 12:16am | #18

            *Poor shot AJ, and not in the spirit of being polite & neighborly that you so often espouse.

          15. The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Dec 19, 2000 02:52am | #19

            *Pita....What the F... boy??????????? I is being damn polite you friggen jerk.....Jerk your dogs chain boy.The paper cuttin method works great and is the only way to do it if the shape is free form...But you wouldn't know that cause ya just post here with near a lick of any experience pal. Your handle should be Mr. armchair knowledge boy, who eats Pitas more than he practices a trade.near the Pita that shoulda been eata,ajLove peace and Merry Christmas.

          16. Mr._Pita | Dec 19, 2000 05:59pm | #20

            *Complain about my lack of trade experience all you want, AJ. Don't bother me. The "F" I was talking about was:>...I would bet it's in Joe's manual next to the ball of string roofing section. The rest of your post, as was, would have been fine. But, ya just had to put in that dig at Joe, didn't ya? You espouse how we should be so civil and unprovoking; why then, did you feel a need to provoke with that? That is its only purpose, and don't try to tell me it isn't. Now you call me names because I revealed you for what you're doing. Hmm, sounds like the exact behavior from Gabe and Joe you complain about all the time. Looks like that stream might not be so perfect after all. If you want to complain about certain posters' treatment of others then go ahead, but don't be surprised when it bites ya if you do the same.Mr. Pita

          17. The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Dec 19, 2000 09:20pm | #21

            *Pita ya flame rap artist....Get your own tussle and whack off all ya need to....I mentioned the ball of string because it is the same exact common sense way of doing a non trig solution to a geometric carpentry need.b BUT YOU CAN'T SEE THAT FROM YOUR ARMCHAIR CAN YA MY PAL!!!!Get someone else to whack around Pita....You loser.near the stream taking no prisoners,aj (it's fun being a horses ass!...ya all should give it a whirl!)Oh...Merry Christmas!...

          18. The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Dec 19, 2000 09:26pm | #22

            *Pita....I'm just havin fun with ya all.....Don't get your shorts in a knot!HO HO HO......Merry Christmas to all and happy harmonica too!near the whacked stream,aj

          19. Mr._Pita | Dec 19, 2000 11:45pm | #23

            *Call me all the names you want, AJ. But now, you've labeled me a rap artist, and that's something I take from no man! So you take that back!May the curse of Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children chase you so far over the hills of Damnation that the Lord himself can't find you with a telescope.Almost forgot - ;)

          20. Stray_ | Dec 20, 2000 04:09pm | #24

            *JRS,I believe we're just defining "height" differently. I think you're definition is more correct, but I was assuming the Jim meant base X Height means one legnth of triangle X another legnth of triangle. That only works for "righties". Thanks for your clarification.-Stray

          21. piffin_ | Dec 23, 2000 06:09am | #25

            *I just HAD to stop and see why such a simple question could generate SOOOO many responses.....In the intrest of good humor and keeping it alive, could someone tell me how to figure the area of a round hole????

          22. jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Dec 23, 2000 09:02am | #26

            *I believe pi times the radius squared gives you the area of the circle, then you have to multiply by the depth of the hole. That should give you the volume in cubic inches, feet, meters, whatever unit you used.You know one that stumps a lot of folks is figuring board feet quickly.

          23. piffin_ | Dec 23, 2000 04:09pm | #27

            *But Jim B, Does a hole have area? since it is a vacuous lack of whatever it was cut out of.and Yes my stumps are sore because my feet are bored quickly. Apparently this can happen to you too, since you're up in the middle of the night figuring mathematical equations. ;>)Unfortunately, even too many workeers in lumberyards fail to differentiate between Board feet and Linear feet. A board foot is 1" x 12" x 1' long; thus a 1x12x6' has six board feet. It also has six linear feet since it is six feet long. Now take a board 1" x 6" x 12' - it still has six BdFt but it is twelve Ln Ft long.Quickly, to figure lin Ft use a tape measure; for Bd Ft multiply size of member and divide by 12, then multiply by the lenghth.eg. for a 2x4 @ 12' long, 2" x 4" = 8, 8/12=.6667, .6667 x 12 = 8 bdftWhat is a problem for me is that I estimate in board feet but my supplier prices and quotes @ per piece so multiple conversions can become necessary.

          24. The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Dec 23, 2000 05:25pm | #28

            *To add to Piffin....When is a board foot more than it appears...Planed wood....All board foot measurements are based on rough sawn lumber prior to the planing process...So a 3/4"x11 1/4"x12" board is a board foot of lumber.near the stream,aj

          25. piffin_ | Dec 23, 2000 05:46pm | #29

            *So here again we find ourselves measuring that which isn't there, like with the area of a hole.What other things do we count that isn't there?????Figure the plywood sheathing to cover the windows even though it isn't part of the finished product. What else???

          26. joe_d | Dec 23, 2000 06:52pm | #30

            *A lumber supplier who can't quote prices per thousand ($$/1000 bd') is in need of remedial training.Another twist to the bd' equation; thickness in inches, times width in inches, times length in feet, divide this sum by 12. Result is bd' of lumber in that stick. All dimensions are nominal, ie 2x4 is not 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 for the purpose of this calculation.joe d

          27. jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Dec 23, 2000 09:06pm | #31

            *Yeah, that's how I do it too, joe d. Makes it easy to do a sling of something that way. But I have to admit, you sure got me to bite on that one Piffin. Some folks are just too easy, huh?

          28. CaseyR_ | Dec 24, 2000 02:00am | #32

            *Piffin -I would say that a hole has two kinds of area - projected area and surface area. Just because a hole is defined by a surface around it rather than in it doesn't mean that there isn't an area there. Just like there is an area for the air to pass through in the inside of a duct or an area in a wall where the fenstration is to be placed. Seems to me like in geometry class we spent a lot of time figuring imaginary areas and a hole would seem a lot more real than that. Actually the hole isn't empty unless you're digging it in outer space, even on the moon there would be a very small quantity of atmospheric gases in there. Crazylegs went beyond "area" to give the volume of the hole rather than just the area, but I don't think he was off base on answering the question. The projected area would simply be the pi times radius squared as he said. The surface area would be the area of the cylinder forming the walls of the hole plus the area of the bottom of the hole if there was oneNothing like solving some of the world's great philosophical problems to allow us to build finer homes...

          29. piffin_ | Dec 24, 2000 02:42am | #33

            *Easy ther casey my boy, I never disagreed with crazylegs. Of course he's rigth I'm just tryin' to inject a little holiday humour here. A window isn't a hole in the wall area, it's a view to the stars beyond or the neighbor in need of a smile so if I'm punching a hole in your fortress wall, it's just to let the light in.Merry Christmass. Yer all good guys.

          30. blue_eyed_devil_ | Dec 25, 2000 09:26pm | #34

            *Does anyone know how to calculate the cubic area of Mt Everest?A football?a popsicle?a motorcycle?Just testing to see if anyone really knows what the hell they are talking about in here....Remeber, show your work!Happy Holidays and screw you to all my adversaries.blue

          31. JRS | Dec 26, 2000 12:34am | #35

            *Anything small enough to immerse in a closed container of water can be determined by figuring the volume of water displaced. Guess that leaves out Everest!John

          32. Luka_ | Dec 26, 2000 01:17am | #36

            *Wouldn't leave out my mountain. Mine's immersed in water more often than not...

          33. piffin_ | Dec 26, 2000 04:30am | #37

            *Is that a mtn or a molehill, Luka?I'll take the one on the popsicle. Melt it down and measure the fluid in one of your wifes measuring cups. Write it down. Add two ounces of vodka and ice. Stir with the stick. Drink it down. Repeat the process to confirm your findings (this is the scientific method). Write it down and drink it down. If there is any doubt or difference in your mind or in your findings, repeat the test and take the best two out of three. By now I'm sure you've forgotten why you were doing this experiment in the first place but I can assure you that it's all very scientific and educational. Especially if you've been writing it down. That way you'll also have something to show your wife when she comes home from shopping and asks, "Why is my measureing cup all sticky.....and Honey, why are you all sticky?"Be sure to report your findings here so the blue eyed devil can tabulate them

          34. Bill_Ha | Dec 27, 2000 12:34pm | #38

            *piffin, While we are at it might as well mention the difference between accurate and precise. As per my former science teacher: Accurate is defined as hitting the target or coming up with the correct answer as in how long is that 72 inch board (please say 72 inches). Precise on the other hand was defined as reproducable measurement such as cutting a shelf too short four times in a row. Another example would be the newspapers accurate delivery to your porch or the precise delivery all week to the flower beds.

          35. CaseyR_ | Dec 27, 2000 09:02pm | #39

            *Let's see, Blue, cubic area... is that something like a square circle? Do you measure it in cubic square inches? Actually, it might be an appropriate measure for my football, being that it is currently about 1/2" thick by whatever length and width - afraid it ain't quite ready for the annual Charlie Brown/Lucy kickoff, whenever that is...And figuring the volume of Mt. Everest would be easy if they knew the actual height of the thing. You just construct a box of that size and then take out all the cubic whatevers that ain't Mt. Everest and subtract that from the total which gives you the answer...

          36. Hopeless_Mathematician | Dec 28, 2000 09:24pm | #40

            *To find the volume of any random shaped object all you haveto do is immerse it in a container of water and measurethe rise in water level after full immersion. Of courseyou would use a container that is of a "well-behaved" shapesuch as a cube for ease of calculation.To find the area of anything all you do is to fit a functionto its perimeter line and then take the integral under thefunction from the lower bound to the upper bound. That wouldbe equivalent to counting the number of feet of a herd of sheepand dividing it by four to find the number of sheep in the herd.Which is the way we do most of our scientific work anyway. LOLPretty simple really....

          37. Don_Mallette | Jan 01, 2001 05:27am | #41

            *Hey Piffin, Here's one for ya!I have installed triangular Andersen Flexframe windows in the past, but only recently was I involved in the purchase of a pair of equalateral triangular windows that measured 52" on each leg. That works out to 9.39 sq ft where I went to 7th grade. Imagine my surprise when the supplier informed me that, according to Andersen, the area formula is base times height, period! Don

          38. piffin_ | Jan 01, 2001 08:21pm | #42

            *That would be correct for an equilateral triangle. If you draw a perpendicular line bisecting the base it will divide the original into two equal right triangles. The form for area of each of these is 1/2of base times height. Since you've got two of them you multiply back times two which cancels out the first 1/2. Geometrically speaking, if you take one of the two divisions and flip it around, joining the longest side of it to the corresponding side of the other you have now created a rectiliniar shape. The form for area of it is base times height.

          39. Ted_LaRue_ | Jan 01, 2001 10:17pm | #43

            *Oops..If the legs are 52", then the area is 8.13 sq ft. You arrived at your answer of 9.39 because you used 52" as the height of the triangle. The height of the triangle is sqrt(3)/2 * 52 = 45.03.Area = 1/2*(base*height) = 1/2*(52 * 45.03) = 1170.86 sq in.and 1170.86 sq in = 8.13 sq ft.

          40. Ted_LaRue_ | Jan 01, 2001 10:18pm | #44

            *Oops again..The formula for the area of any triangle is 1/2*(base * height).Piffin slipped in his argument. If you split the triangle into two congruent right triangles, the area of each is indeed 1/2(base * height), but it's the base of the right triangle, not the base of the larger equilateral triangle.

          41. piffin_ | Jan 02, 2001 12:44am | #45

            *I didn't slip in my thinking, just in my specifics trying to verbally explain a geometric concept. I didn't state which triangle I was refering to, thought it was implied. I hate pronouns also.

          42. The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Jan 02, 2001 05:11am | #46

            *I know some pronouns that dislike you...so they say...near the stream and a few mean pro and amateur nouns,aj

  2. Larry_53 | Jan 02, 2001 05:11am | #47

    *

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