Area of a Trapezium finding and comparing
- Author:
- Ron Livecchi, Morton Betts
First can you work out the formula for the area of a trapezium?
Rotate out a second trapezium for a clue.
Compare the shape to the formula for a parallelogram.
Check your answer with the "show area formula" box.
Second can you change the shape (using the 3 blue corner dots and the height dot) to make other shapes?
See if you can find a rhombus, parallelogram, rectangle, square and any tyoe of triangle.
How does the formula change for the different shapes? Look at the values for a and b on the shape and in the formula.
Use the rotate slider to see that it's still always a parallelogram.
Question 1
Move the height to 5, a = 7, b = 13. Use the rotate slider. What is the area of the parallelogram? What is the area of the trapezium? Check the formula box, so you can see the formula used.
Question 2
Move the height to 3, a = 4, and b = 8. Use the rotate slider. What is the area of the parallelogram? What is the area of trapezium?
Question 3
Without using the applet calculate the area of a trapezium with a height of 6, a = 4, and b = 12? Now use the applet above to see if you anwser was correct? In the box below type in the area you found and answer if you were correct.
Question 4
In your own words type out how you calculate the area of a trapezium.