Trapezoid area
- Author:
- talljerome
This construction is intended to show WHY the formula for trapezoidal area is what it is.
Drag the slider to see that any trapezoid can be dissected and rearranged into a rectangle.
The rectangle base length is just the average of the two trapezoidal base lengths (Is this obvious when interacting with the construction?)
The rectangle and trapezoidal heights are the same.
So, since the area of a rectangle is just base * height, doesn't it make sense that the area of a trapezoid is just the "average" base length * height?