Joan found the area of the trapezoid below by creating triangles as shown. What is the total area of the trapezoid? The trapezoid is 6 units 8 units and 12 units split into two triangles
To find the total area of the trapezoid, we need to find the area of each individual triangle and then add them together.
First, let's find the area of Triangle 1:
Base = 8 units
Height = 6 units
Area = 1/2 * base * height
Area = 1/2 * 8 * 6
Area = 24 square units
Now, let's find the area of Triangle 2:
Base = 12 units
Height = 6 units
Area = 1/2 * base * height
Area = 1/2 * 12 * 6
Area = 36 square units
Finally, add the areas of Triangle 1 and Triangle 2 to find the total area of the trapezoid:
Total area = 24 + 36
Total area = 60 square units
Therefore, the total area of the trapezoid is 60 square units.