SAT Question 306264ab: Area and Volume answer and explanation with Desmos solution

Choice B is correct. The area, $A$, of a triangle can be found using the formula $A=\frac{1}{2}bh$, where $b$ is the length of the base of the triangle and $h$ is the height of the triangle. It's given that the triangle is a right triangle. Therefore, its base and height can be represented by the two legs. It's also given that the triangle has sides of length $2\sqrt{2}$, $6\sqrt{2}$, and $\sqrt{80}$ units. Since $\sqrt{80}$ units is the greatest of these lengths, it's the length of the hypotenuse. Therefore, the two legs have lengths $2\sqrt{2}$ and $6\sqrt{2}$ units. Substituting these values for $b$ and $h$ in the formula $A=\frac{1}{2}bh$ gives $A=\frac{1}{2}\left(2\sqrt{2}\right)\left(6\sqrt{2}\right)$, which is equivalent to $A=6\sqrt{4}$ square units, or $A=12$ square units.