text: what is the area of a right triangle that has legs.......? what is the area of a right triangle that has legs 7cm and 4cm long?   this is a homework question for my 6th grader and i have never heard of a triangle described with legs.... i only know the formula for area that uses base and 1/2 height. if this is still the correct formula then how to i determine which leg is the base and which is the height? dear person,    the two shortest sides of a right triangle are called the legs. these "legs" are never the hypotenuse because the hypotenuse is alwas the longest side.    the bottom side, which is called the bottom leg, is the base. the shorter one of the two upright sides is called a leg, as well. this upright leg is the measure of the height  e.g.  note: the dashes across are the only way the following shape can form a triangle on yahoo posts.    a    i&#92;     l-&#92;    l--&#92;      l---&#92;    l__&#92;  b      c  a to b = leg (height) b to c = leg (base) a to c = hypotenuse these listed combinations can also go as vice-versa. the formual for the area = 1/2 x base x height                    it can also be = 1/2 x height x base thats all, folks.