Question

Noshi ordered a new desk for her office. The desk came in two parts, each shaped like a trapezoid.

The height of both part A and part B is 3 feet. Noshi wants to be sure the desk will fit in her office so she calculates the area of the desk.



What is the total area of the desk?

Answer 1

Answer: 39ft²

Option 1: A= a+b/2 (h)

Trapezoid 1:

8+5/2(3)

13/2(3)

6.5*3

=19.5

Trapezoid 2:

9+4/2(3)

13/2(3)

6.5*3

=19.5

Now add both areas together

19.5 + 19.5 = 39ft²

Option 2: A= a+b/2(h)

Work both trapezoids at the same time

Base 1: top of trapezoids: 5 +4= 9ft

Base 2: Bottom of trapezoids: 8+9=17ft

Height is 3ft

A=9+17/2(3)

26/2(3)

13(3)

A=39ft²

Hope that this helps you.