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Area of a Trapezoid
Trapezoid Area Formula
The formula for area of a trapezoid is given as:
A = 1⁄2h(a + b)
Where A is the area, h is the height, a is the short base, and b is the long base.
Example Problems
Problem 1:
The two bases of a trapezoid are 4 and 6 long. The height is 10. What is the area of the trapezoid?
Solution:
1.) Plugging the given values into the area formula, we get:
A = 1⁄2h(a + b)
A = 1⁄2(10)(4 + 6) = (5)(10) = 50
2.) The area is 50.
Problem 2:
A trapezoid is made up of a square with an area of 10 and two congruent triangles with an area of 5 each. What is the area of the trapezoid?
Solution:
1.) We have the area of all three shapes that compose the trapezoid. Therefore, we can add them together to find the trapezoid’s area.
A = a1 + a2 + a3
A = 10 + 5 + 5 = 20
3.) The trapezoid’s area is 20.