Trapezoid Length Calculation: Finding BC When Area is 100 cm²

Question

The area of trapezoid

ABCD is 100 cm².

The height of trapezoid CE is 8 cm.

The base of trapezoid AD is 15 cm.

Calculate the length of BC.

S=100S=100S=100151515888BBBCCCDDDAAAEEE

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Calculate the length of base BC
00:03 We'll use the formula for calculating trapezoid area
00:12 ((sum of bases) times height) divided by 2
00:24 We'll substitute appropriate values according to the given data and solve for BC
00:59 We'll isolate BC
01:24 And this is the solution to the problem

Step-by-Step Solution

We'll begin by using the formula for the area of a trapezoid:

A=12×(a+b)×h A = \frac{1}{2} \times (a + b) \times h

where:

  • AA is the area of the trapezoid, which is 100 cm².
  • aa is the length of base AD, which is 15 cm.
  • bb is the length of base BC, which we need to find.
  • hh is the height of the trapezoid, which is 8 cm.

Substituting the known values into the formula, we have:

100=12×(15+b)×8 100 = \frac{1}{2} \times (15 + b) \times 8

First, simplify the right side of the equation:

100=4×(15+b) 100 = 4 \times (15 + b)

Next, divide both sides by 4 to isolate the terms inside the parenthesis:

25=15+b 25 = 15 + b

Finally, subtract 15 from both sides to solve for bb:

b=2515=10 b = 25 - 15 = 10

Therefore, the length of base BC is 10 \mathbf{10} cm.

The solution to the problem is 10\boxed{10}.

Answer

10