To calculate the area of an isosceles triangle, you can use the formula:

An isosceles triangle is characterized by having two sides of equal length, while the base has a different length. To determine the area, you need to know both the length of the base and the height. The height is defined as the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite vertex, which is the point where the two equal sides converge.

Begin by identifying the length of the base, denoted as $b$. Next, determine the height, denoted as $h$. The height is the line segment that is perpendicular to the base and extends from the base to the top vertex of the triangle. If the height is not provided, you can calculate it using the Pythagorean theorem. For instance, if you know the lengths of the equal sides, denoted as $a$, and the base $b$, you can divide the triangle into two right-angled triangles. The height can then be calculated using the formula:

Once you have both the base and the height, substitute these values into the area formula:

This calculation will give you the area of the isosceles triangle in square units. For example, if the base measures $6 \, \text{cm}$ and the height measures $4 \, \text{cm}$, you would find the area as follows: