Diyu P. answered • 03/31/25
Patient MD, Ivy-League Geometry Tutor with 10+ years of experience
1) To find the area of trapezoid, you can separate it into a square and a triangle.
You can do this by drawing a line straight down, starting from the left corner of the top edge to the reach the bottom edge. Your line should be at a 90 degree angle to the bottom line.
This gives you a right triangle on the left, with a base of 3cm, and a rectangle on the right.
2) Define our rectangle side lengths
The width of the rectangle is formed by the vertical edge of the trapezoid. w=6cm
The length is formed by the top edge of the trapezoid. l = 4cm.
3) Calculate the area of the rectangle
A = l*w = 4cm * 6cm = 24 sq cm
4) Define our triangle side lengths
The base of our triangle is formed by the part of the base that's not occupied by the rectangle. b = 7cm - 4cm = 3cm.
The height of our triangle is the same as the height of the trapezoid. h= 6cm
5) Calculate the area of the triangle
A = 1/2*b*h = 1/2*3cm*6cm = 9 sq cm
6) Add the area of the triangle and square together:
Total area = 24 sq cm + 9 sq cm = 33 sq cm
