Question

The area of a trapezoid is given by the equation A = 1/2 * h(b1 + b2), where h is the height and b1 and b2 are the lengths of the parallel bases.

What is the area of a trapezoid in which the height is 6 cm and the two bases are b1 = 16 and b2 = 10?

(Think: what does 1/2 * 6(16 + 10) simplify to, following the order of operations?)

Answer 1

A = 78 cm²

Explanation:

substitute h = 6 , b₁ = 6, b₂ = 10 into the formula

A =
`(1)/(2)` × 6 × (6 + 10) = 3 × 26 = 78 cm²