Divide the trapezoid so that you get a second triangle and a rectangle. The single tick mark on the measures is shorthand for "feet."
210 feet^2 Strategies: See solution.
Practice makes perfect
If we do not know the formula for a trapezoid's area, we can always divide it into shapes where the formula for area are perhaps more familiar.
Now we have to find the heights and the vertical sides of the rectangle, both represented by the dashed lines. For this purpose, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem on the leftmost right triangle in the diagram where we know the hypotenuse and a leg.
Let's add the height of the trapezoid to the diagram.
The area of a triangle is the product of the base and height divided by 2. Examining the diagram, we see that the rectangle is in fact a square, the area of which is calculated by squaring its side length. With this, we can find the total area.
Area: 1/2( 5)( 12)+ 12^2+1/2( 6)( 12)=210
