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Step 1
Remember that the bases of the trapezoid are the two parallel sides.
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Step 2
Draw two straight parallel lines on a piece of paper that have different lengths. Connect the two parallel lines with two straight lines to complete the four-sided figure.
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Step 3
Trace a straight line between the two parallel lines. This line is perpendicular, at right angles, to both parallel lines.
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Step 4
Recognize this line between the two bases as the height or altitude.
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Step 5
Calculate the area of a trapezoid using area = h(b1 + b2)1/2.
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Step 6
Understand that another way to look at this formula is that the two bases added together and divided by two give the median of the trapezoid.
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Step 7
Multiply this median by the height of the trapezoid and you get the area.











