Calculating the Area of a Trapezoid | Formula and Example

area of a trapezoid

The area of a trapezoid is the measure of the region enclosed by the trapezoid’s parallel bases and its lateral sides

The area of a trapezoid is the measure of the region enclosed by the trapezoid’s parallel bases and its lateral sides. To calculate the area, you can use the formula:

Area = ((base1 + base2) / 2) * height

In this formula, base1 and base2 represent the lengths of the two parallel bases of the trapezoid, and the height is the perpendicular distance between the bases.

To find the area, you need to know the measurements of at least one base and the height. If you have both bases, you can directly substitute their values into the formula. If you don’t have both bases but know the lengths of the non-parallel sides, you can use the formula for the height. However, if you only have the lengths of the non-parallel sides, it is not possible to determine the exact area of the trapezoid.

Let’s consider an example: Suppose we have a trapezoid with a base1 of 4 units, base2 of 8 units, and a height of 6 units. We can find the area using the formula as follows:

Area = ((4 + 8) / 2) * 6
= (12 / 2) * 6
= 6 * 6
= 36 square units

Therefore, the area of the trapezoid is 36 square units.

More Answers: