Question

find the area of this trapezoid.
area of a trapezoid
$a = \frac { 1 } { 2 } h ( b _ { 1 } + b _ { 2 } )$
$a = \square cm ^ { 2 }$

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the values of \(h\), \(b_1\), \(b_2\)

From the problem, \(h = 3\mathrm{cm}\), \(b_1=11\mathrm{cm}\), \(b_2 = 5\mathrm{cm}\).

Step2: Substitute into the area formula

The formula for the area of a trapezoid is \(A=\frac{1}{2}h(b_1 + b_2)\). Substitute the values: \(A=\frac{1}{2}\times3\times(11 + 5)\).
First, calculate the sum inside the parentheses: \(11+5=16\). Then, \(A=\frac{1}{2}\times3\times16\).
Since \(\frac{1}{2}\times16 = 8\), then \(A=8\times3\).

Answer:

\(24\mathrm{cm}^2\)