the length of one base of a trapezoid in 19 less than five times the length of the other base, if the the trapezoid has a height of 18 feet and an area of 477 ft2

Answer 1

What you need to know is that the area of a trapezoid is 1/2 the sum of the 2 bases times the altitude.

B= 5b-19

sum of the bases is 6b - 19

(18/2)(6b-19) = 477

Solving this will get you b=12. You find B and them make sure your answer meets the requirements of the problem.

Answer 2

It's not specified directly what is being requested, but it's fair to assume that it's the base lengths.

Let one base = B1. The other base B2 = 5 B1 - 19. Area = A = (B1 + B2) X 18/2 = 477

(6 B1 - 19) X 9 = 477

54 B1 - 171 = 477

54 B1 = 648

B1 = 12

B2 = 60 - 19 = 41