Mastering Trapezoids: Understanding the Formulae, Properties, and Real-life Examples

Trapezoid

A quadrilateral with only ONE pair of parallel sides

A trapezoid is a 2-dimensional shape that has four sides with two parallel sides (called bases) and two non-parallel sides. The non-parallel sides are also called legs and the distance between the two bases is the height of the trapezoid.

Formulae for Area and Perimeter of a Trapezoid:

The area of a trapezoid is given by the formula:
A = 1/2 × (b1 + b2) × h
where,
-A is the area of the trapezoid
-b1 and b2 are the lengths of the two parallel bases of the trapezoid
-h is the height of the trapezoid perpendicular to both bases.

The perimeter of a trapezoid is the sum of the lengths of all four sides of the trapezoid.
P = a + b1 + c + b2
where,
– P is the perimeter of the trapezoid
– a, b1, c, b2 are the lengths of all four sides of the trapezoid

Properties of a Trapezoid:

1) A trapezoid has two parallel sides and two non-parallel sides.
2) The angles between the non-parallel sides are supplementary.
3) The median of a trapezoid is the line segment that join the midpoints of the non-parallel sides.
4) The altitude of a trapezoid is perpendicular to both bases of the trapezoid.
5) The sum of the interior angles of a trapezoid is always equal to 360 degrees.

Real-life Examples of Trapezoids:

– The roofs of some houses have trapezoidal shapes
– Some basketball courts have trapezoid-shaped backboards
– The shape of some bridges is trapezoidal
– Some mirrors used in cars have a trapezoidal shape
– The shape of some tiles is trapezoidal.

More Answers: