Which equation would best help solve the following problem? The height of a triangle is 5 m less than its base. The area of the triangle is 42 m² What is the length of the base?

Answer:
[tex]\boxed{\displaystyle 42=\frac{1}{2}x(x-5)}[/tex]
The second choice is correct
Step-by-step explanation:
Area of a Triangle
Given a triangle of base B and height H, the area is calculated by the formula:
[tex]\displaystyle A=\frac{1}{2}BH[/tex]
Let's call x=base of a triangle
Since the height of the triangle is 5 m less than the base:
x - 5 = height of the triangle.
Thus, the area is
[tex]\displaystyle A=\frac{1}{2}x(x-5)[/tex]
The value of the area is given as A=42 square meters, thus:
[tex]\boxed{\displaystyle 42=\frac{1}{2}x(x-5)}[/tex]
The second choice is correct