Question

Line EF is the median of the trapezoid ABCD. The median connects the midpoint of the legs of a trapezoid. Use the diagram to find the lengths of the median and base.​

Answer 1

• median: 15
• base: 18

Explanation:

The median is the average of the lengths of the two bases:

5x -20 = (12 + (4x -10))/2

5x -20 = 2x +1

3x = 21 . . . . . add 20-2x

x = 7

Then the lengths are ...

median = 5x -20 = 5·7 -20 = 15

base = 4x -10 = 4·7 -10 = 18