How do you find the area of a trapezoid?

Calculate the area of a trapezoid by identifying the length of the two parallel bases and the height of the polygon. Then, use the formula A = a + b/2 (h), where "a" and "b" are the two parallel base lengths and "h" refers to the height of the polygon.

For example, consider Trapezoid G with base lengths of 8 and 10 inches and a height of 4 inches. Using the formula, add the length of the two bases, divide the sum by two and multiply the figure by four to determine that the area of Trapezoid G is 36 square inches [(8 + 10)/2(4)].