Mastering Trapezoids: Formulas And Types Explained For Area And Perimeter Calculations

trapazoid

a quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with only one pair of parallel sides. The parallel sides are called the bases, and the non-parallel sides are called legs. The height of a trapezoid is the perpendicular distance between the two bases. The formula for calculating the area of a trapezoid is:

Area = 1/2 x (sum of the bases) x (height)

Alternatively, you can use the average of the bases:

Area = 1/2 x (base1 + base2) x (height)

To find the perimeter of a trapezoid, simply add up the length of all four sides.

It’s important to note that there are different types of trapezoids, including right trapezoids (where one of the angles is a right angle), isosceles trapezoids (where the non-parallel sides are the same length), and scalene trapezoids (where all sides are different lengths).

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