A trapezoid has side lengths as indicated in the figure (the sides with length and are parallel). Calculate the area of the trapezoid.[img]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PKrqDG37X4/XzcJtCyUv8I/AAAAAAAAMY0/tB0FObJUJdcTlAJc4n6YNEaVIDfQ91-eQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/1995%2BMohr%2Bp1.png[/img]
Solution
To find the area of the trapezoid, we need to determine its height. We can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the height by solving for the unknowns in the given right triangles.
1. Set up the equations using the Pythagorean theorem:
- For the right triangle with hypotenuse :
- For the right triangle with hypotenuse :
2. **Solve the first equation for :**
3. **Substitute from the first equation into the second equation:**
4. **Solve for :**
5. **Substitute back into the equation for :**
6. Calculate the area of the trapezoid:
The area of a trapezoid is given by:
where and are the lengths of the parallel sides, and is the height.
The final answer is .
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