Can someone help me understand how to find the area of the overlapping triangle

[Iambadatmath]

Can someone please help me understand how to find the area of the overlapping triangle in the middle of the 2 blankets

 

[HallsofIvy]

The purple, overlapping, area is a right triangle. Its hypotenuse is one side of the upper right rectangle so has length 5.7 feet. The right side of the lower left rectangle is 6 feet and we are told that the portion of that side NOT in the triangle is 2 feet so the portion that is in the triangle is 6- 2= 4 feet. That is, the given triangle has hypotenuse of length 5.7 feet and one leg of length 4 feet. Use the Pythagorean theorem to determine the length of the other leg, Of course, the area of a triangle is "one half height times base".

 

[Dr.Peterson]

Can someone please help me understand how to find the area of the overlapping triangle in the middle of the 2 blankets

There is actually too much information here; it is not quite consistent.

The horizontal leg of the right triangle is clearly 4 (from the opposite side of the rectangle); and the vertical leg is 6-2 = 4. So it's easy to find the area.

But the hypotenuse then turns out not to be exactly 5.7 ft; can you determine what it is, and see how they rounded it?

It would be better if they had not given you that approximate number, 5.7; depending on which numbers you use, you get different answers.

 

[sinx]

Can someone please help me understand how to find the area of the overlapping triangle in the middle of the 2 blankets

the easist; one half of a square that is 4 ft on each side.
or you could flip the triangle upside down and do 1/2 base x height.
you get the same answer.