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Why is there a 1/2 in this formula for the area of a trapezoid?

Why is there a 1/2 in this formula for the area of a trapezoid?-example-1
User Tatjana
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A simple answer is that any given trapezoid with height h and length of the parallel lines a and b, is half of a parallelogram with an area of (a+b) x h. Since the trapezoid is half of this, it is h(a+b)/2

User Pony
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