How to Find the Area and Perimeter of a Trapezoid: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

Trapezoid

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with two parallel sides and two non-parallel sides

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with two parallel sides and two non-parallel sides. The two parallel sides are called the bases, and the two non-parallel sides are called the legs. In a trapezoid, the bases can have different lengths, while the legs are typically equal in length.

To find the area of a trapezoid, you can use the formula:

Area = (base1 + base2) * height / 2

Here, base1 and base2 represent the lengths of the two parallel sides, and height represents the perpendicular distance between the bases (the length of a line segment drawn perpendicular to the bases).

Let’s work through an example to make this clearer.

Example:
Consider a trapezoid with base1 measuring 5 units, base2 measuring 9 units, and a height of 4 units.

To find the area, we can use the formula:

Area = (base1 + base2) * height / 2
= (5 + 9) * 4 / 2
= 14 * 4 / 2
= 56 / 2
= 28 square units.

Therefore, the area of this trapezoid is 28 square units.

In addition to finding the area, you can also find the perimeter of a trapezoid by summing up the lengths of all its sides. If you have the lengths of all four sides, you can simply add them together to find the perimeter. However, if you know the lengths of the bases and legs but not the other two sides, you would need more information (such as angles) to find the missing side lengths and calculate the perimeter.

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