The trapezoid is intriguing since it is defined by your geographical location. If you ask a student to draw a trapezoid for you while on an exchange trip to the United Kingdom, they will draw it as a trapezium. In certain areas of the globe, a trapezoid is also known as a trapezium, and it is a form of a quadrilateral having one set of opposing sides that are parallel to each other. In this article, we are going to discuss the definition of a trapezoid, area of trapezoid as well as its properties.
What is a Trapezoid?
A trapezoid is a polygon with just one parallel set of sides. These parallel sides are also known as trapezoid parallel bases. The other two sides of trapezoids are non-parallel and are referred to as trapezoidal legs.
Trapezoids are defined differently by different people. One school of thought holds that a trapezoid can have just one pair of parallel sides, whereas another holds that a trapezoid can have several pairs of parallel sides. When we adopt the second definition, a parallelogram is also a trapezoid. However, according to the first definition, a parallelogram is not a trapezoid.
To know more about the topic and to understand the formulas as well as the concept of the area of trapezium you can visit the Cuemath website.
Trapezoid Properties
Let’s go through the properties of trapezoids. These are the characteristics of a trapezoid that distinguish it from other quadrilaterals:
- The bases (top and bottom) are perpendicular to one another.
- A trapezoid’s opposite sides (isosceles) are the same length.
- Angles adjacent to each other add up to 180°.
- The median is perpendicular to both bases.
- The median length is the average of both bases. Specifically, (a + b)/2
- A parallelogram is said to be formed when both pairs of opposing sides of a trapezoid are parallel.
- A trapezoid can also be known as a square if both sets of opposing sides are parallel, all sides are equal length, and at right angles to each other.
- A trapezoid can be called a rectangle if both sets of opposing sides are parallel, opposite sides are of equal length, and opposite sides are at right angles to each other.
Area of Trapezoid
The area of a trapezoid on a two-dimensional plane is defined as the region covered by a trapezium. It is the area bounded by 2D geometry and measured in square units. A trapezium is a 2D form that belongs to the quadrilateral family. It, like other geometrical forms, has its own set of attributes and formulae based on area and perimeter. As a result, the area of the trapezium formula, as well as its derivation and examples, are discussed in the article to help you understand it better.
Area of Trapezoid Formula
To calculate the area of a trapezoid, simply know its bases (parallel sides) and the perpendicular distance between them.
If “a” and “b” are the parallel sides of a trapezoid and “h” is the perpendicular distance between them, the area of a trapezoid can be calculated as follows:
Trapezoid area = (1/2) [(a+b)h] square units
How to Find the Area of a Trapezoid?
Follow the methods below to calculate the area of a trapezoid:
Step 1: Determine the dimensions of the provided trapezoid, i.e., the length of parallel sides and the height.
Step 2: Add the lengths of parallel sides together.
Step 3: Multiply the total of parallel sides by the trapezium’s height.
Step 4: To reach the final solution, divide the above-calculated amount by 1/2.
The area of the supplied trapezoid is the value obtained in step 4.
