Triangle Integral Formula: Uncovering the Truth Behind b3/6

[robertjford80]

Homework Statement

the formula of a triangle is b²/2, so the integral should be b³/6, right? Well, that can't be right. Because if the base of the triangle is 4, it's area will not add up to 8. What am I doing wrong?

 

[jedishrfu]

need more details about your problem to help.

 

[robertjford80]

The problem is find the area of a triangle with base 4 using integration.

 

[noobilly]

(b^2)/2 is the area of the triangle - that's the formula you should get after you do the integration, not before. just think of integration as finding the area under the line

 

[robertjford80]

cool, thanks.