Calculate the area of this trapezium - OCR - GCSE Maths - Question 2 - 2021 - Paper 1

To calculate the area of a trapezium (trapezoid), we use the formula:

$A = \frac{1}{2}(b_1 + b_2) \times h$

where:

• $b_1$ is the length of the top base (8.7 cm)
• $b_2$ is the length of the bottom base (12.3 cm)
• $h$ is the height (6.8 cm)

Substituting the values into the formula:

$A = \frac{1}{2}(8.7 + 12.3) \times 6.8$

Calculating the sum of the bases:

$8.7 + 12.3 = 21.0$

Now substituting back:

$A = \frac{1}{2} \times 21.0 \times 6.8$

Calculating further:

$A = 10.5 \times 6.8 = 71.4$

Thus, the area of the trapezium is 71.4 cm².