Question

A patio is in the shape of a trapezoid. The length of the longer base is 17 feet. The length of the shorter base is two feet less than half the longer base. The height is 4 feet. What is the area of the patio?

Answer 1

The area of the patio is 43 square feet

Explanation:

In this question, we have a trapezoid and we are asked to calculate the area of the patio which is in the form of the trapezoid.

Please check attachment for possible trapezoid picture.

Mathematically, the area of the trapezoid can be calculated using the mathematical formula below;

A = 1/2 (a+b) h

where a and b are the lengths of the parallel sides.

Now, let’s say a is 17 feet

b was stated explicitly to be 2 feet half the length of the longer base. That would be 1/2(17) - 2 = 8.5 -2 = 6.5 feet

Now let’s calculate the area of the patio;

A = 1/2(6.5+17) * 4 = 2(23.5) = 47 square feet