What type of geometric figures does the area formula ½bh apply to?

The area formula ( \frac{1}{2} bh ) specifically applies to triangles. In this formula, ( b ) represents the length of the base of the triangle, and ( h ) represents the height, which is the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite vertex.

This formula is derived from the fact that a triangle can be seen as half of a parallelogram that shares the same base and height. By determining the area of a parallelogram using the formula ( \text{base} \times \text{height} ) and recognizing that a triangle occupies half of that area when divided, we arrive at the triangle's area formula.

While other shapes have their area formulas, ( \frac{1}{2} bh ) is exclusively used for triangles, emphasizing why it is the correct choice for this question.