To find the area of the triangle, we can use the formula A = (1/2)bh, where b is the base and h is the height of the triangle.

Given that the base is 3 cm and the height is 8 cm, we can substitute these values into the formula:

A = (1/2)(3 cm)(8 cm)

Simplifying, we have:

A = (1/2)(24 cm^2)

A = 12 cm^2

Therefore, the area of the triangle is 12 square centimeters.