A triangle is a three-sided polygon. It has three interior angles that add up to 180° (a + b + c = 180°). An exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the two interior angles that are opposite (d = b + c). The perimeter of a triangle is equal to the sum of the lengths of its three sides, the height of a triangle is equal to the length from the base to the opposite vertex (angle) and the area equals one-half triangle base x height: a = ½ base x height.

Parallel lines are lines that share the same slope (steepness) and therefore never intersect. A transversal occurs when a set of parallel lines are crossed by another line. All of the angles formed by a transversal are called interior angles and angles in the same position on different parallel lines equal each other (a° = w°, b° = x°, c° = z°, d° = y°) and are called corresponding angles. Alternate interior angles are equal (a° = z°, b° = y°, c° = w°, d° = x°) and all acute angles (a° = c° = w° = z°) and all obtuse angles (b° = d° = x° = y°) equal each other. Same-side interior angles are supplementary and add up to 180° (e.g. a° + d° = 180°, d° + c° = 180°).

To multiply monomials, multiply the coefficients (the numbers that come before the variables) of each term, add the exponents of like variables, and multiply the different variables together.

5a x 3b = (5 x 3) (a x b) = 15ab

An exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the two interior angles that are opposite:

d° = b° + c°

To find angle c, remember that the sum of the interior angles of a triangle is 180°:

180° = a° + b° + c°
c° = 180° - a° - b°
c° = 180° - 59° - 65° = 56°

So, d° = 65° + 56° = 121°

A shortcut to get this answer is to remember that angles around a line add up to 180°:

a° + d° = 180°
d° = 180° - a°
d° = 180° - 59° = 121°

The area of a trapezoid is one-half the sum of the lengths of the parallel sides multiplied by the height:

a = ½(b + d)(h)
a = ½(9 + 3)(5)
a = ½(12)(5)
a = ½(60) = \( \frac{60}{2} \)
a = 30