Question

Find the area of a trapezoid if the altitude is 6" and the median is 8."

Answer 1

In a triangle, the segment that connect the midpoint of two sides is called the midsegment of the triangle. There are the midsegments that divide the triangle into 4 congruent triangles. Similarly, the segment that connect the midpoints of 2 legs of the trapezoid is called the median, or midline or midsegment, of the trapezoid.

The area of a trapezoid can be calculated in 2 ways
A = 1/2 (Upper Base + Lower Base)(Altitude) = Median x Altitude
Thus A = 6 x 8 = 48 square inches