Calculate the area of a trapezoid with bases 6 and 10 and height 4.

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Multiple Choice

Calculate the area of a trapezoid with bases 6 and 10 and height 4.

Understanding how to find the area of a trapezoid: you multiply the height by the average of the two bases. The bases are 6 and 10, so their sum is 16 and the average is 16/2 = 8. The height is 4, so multiply: 8 × 4 = 32. The area is 32 square units. Using just one base times the height would give 24 or 40, which ignores the influence of the other base; the correct method averages the bases before multiplying by the height.

Understanding how to find the area of a trapezoid: you multiply the height by the average of the two bases. The bases are 6 and 10, so their sum is 16 and the average is 16/2 = 8. The height is 4, so multiply: 8 × 4 = 32. The area is 32 square units. Using just one base times the height would give 24 or 40, which ignores the influence of the other base; the correct method averages the bases before multiplying by the height.

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