The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
Base AB = 6 cm
Base DC = 10 cm
Height (h) = 5 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
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The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
Base AB = 6 cm
Base DC = 10 cm
Height (h) = 5 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
First, we need to remind ourselves of how to work out the area of a trapezoid:
Now let's substitute the given data into the formula:
(10+6)*5 =
2
Let's start with the upper part of the equation:
16*5 = 80
80/2 = 40
40 cm²
Given the following trapezoid:
Calculate the area of the trapezoid ABCD.
A trapezoid is like the average of two rectangles! Adding the bases and dividing by 2 gives us the average base length, which we then multiply by height to get the area.
The formula works the same way! Just identify the two parallel sides (they're always the bases) and the perpendicular distance between them (that's your height).
Think "Average Base Times Height": . The average of the two bases, multiplied by the height!
Yes! A rectangle is just a trapezoid where both bases are equal length. Try it: cm², same as length × width!
You need the perpendicular height, not the slanted side length. If you only have side lengths, you'll need to use trigonometry or coordinate geometry to find the height first.
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