How To Calculate the Area of ​​a Scalene Triangle, Given the Lengths of Two Sides and the Measure of the Angle Between Them?

Learn to calculate the area of ​​a triangle given the lengths of two of its sides and the measure of the angle between them

A method to calculate the area of a scalene triangle


  • Side's length - Angle's measure - Side's length

  • This method of calculating the area of ​​a triangle involves knowing the lengths of two sides and the measure of the angle between them.
  • In a triangle △ABC with side lengths BC = a, AC = b, and AB = c, the lengths of a and b are known, as well as the measure of angle ∠C.
  • We start with the classic formula of triangle's area:

  • Area = 1/2 × a × ha
  • Where:
  • a = the side of the triangle opposite angle ∠A
  • ha = the height AD from the vertex A to the side with length "a" (BC), where D belongs to the line containing the segment BC.
  • Height ha expressed as a function of the side

    Height ha expressed as a function of the side "b" and the sine of angle ∠C

  • == But we don't know the length of the height ha. What next? ==
  • Using notions of trigonometry, in the right triangle △ADC (∡D = 90°), formed to the right of the height ha, we have:
  • sin(∠C) = ha / b => ha = b × sin(∠C).
  • Substitute the height ha into the classic formula of the triangle's area and get:
  • The trigonometric formula:

  • Area = 1/2 × a × b × sin(∠C)

Practical example: calculate the area of a triangle

Let's calculate the area of ​​a triangle with the side lengths a = 10, b = 9, and the angle measure of m(∠C) = 40 degrees.


  • Area =

  • 1/2 × a × b × sin(∠C) =
  • 1/2 × 10 × 9 × sin(40 degrees) =
  • 1/2 × 10 × 9 × sin(0.698131701 radians) ≈
  • 45 × 0.64278760984 =
  • 28.9254424429 ≈
  • 28.93 square units