A trapezoid can be thought of as a triangle resting on top of (or beside) a rectangle. The total area of the trapezoid can be determined quite easily by dividing it into a rectangle and a triangle and summing the areas of each of these smaller shapes. The area (Arect) of a rectangular shape can be determined from knowledge of the height (hrect) and the base (brect) of the triangle.
A of Rectangle = base • height
Arect= brect• hrect
The area (Atri) of a triangular shape can be determined from knowledge of the height (htri) and the base (btri) of the triangle.
Area of Triangle = 0.5 • base • height
Atri= 0.5 • btri• htri
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