What is the total surface area of a solar reflector made using 31 identical triangular-shaped mirrors, each having sides 2.4m, 2.3m, and 1.5m?
The total surface area of the solar reflector is 2.78 m^2.
Calculating the Total Surface Area:
Given:
Side a = 2.4m
Side b = 2.3m
Side c = 1.5m
The semi-perimeter (s) is calculated as:
s = (a + b + c) / 2
s = (2.4 + 2.3 + 1.5) / 2
s = 3.1m
Using Heron's formula, the surface area (Area) is calculated as:
Area = sqrt(s * (s - a) * (s - b) * (s - c))
Area = sqrt(3.1 * (3.1 - 2.4) * (3.1 - 2.3) * (3.1 - 1.5))
Area = 2.78 m^2
Therefore, the total surface area of the solar reflector is 2.78 square meters.