If two sides of a triangle are 6 and 13, respectively, which of the following could NOT be the area of this triangle?
Choose the correct choice from the following answers:  A) 40  B) 6  C) 17  D) 29  E) 38
For this question it would be helpful to know the largest area that this triangle could be, given the two sides of 6 and 12.   We know that the area of a triangle will be maximized when two sides are perpendicular to each other (consult Bunuel's drawing above). Thus we have a max area being equal to one half the base times the height, either (.5)13 * 6 -or- (.5)6 * 13 will result in a maximum area of 39 for the triangle; therefore, the triangle could never have an area of 40.   40
<result>A</result>
If two sides of a triangle are 6 and 13, respectively, which of the following could NOT be the area of this triangle?