Question P5 Area and volume foundations
In the shown triangle, the base is 12 cm and a 7 cm segment meets it at a right angle. Identify the base and its corresponding height.
Answer
Base 12 cm and height 7 cm
Choose the matching base and perpendicular height, or count equal cube layers before multiplying dimensions.
In this one. A triangle height must be perpendicular to the chosen base. A sloping side is not automatically the height.
Look for shapes drawn on a dotted or squared grid, sharing a side or a vertex, with names like ABCD and ABE. Words like "grid", "dots" or "squares" alongside a request to compare areas or heights are the giveaway.
Children measure height by eye along the slanted side of a shape instead of counting the straight up-down grid distance from the base to the opposite vertex, which gives the wrong height whenever a side leans.
Worked examples of all 33 patterns and skills, in a booklet you can print.