A designer wants to estimate the area of a trapezoid-shaped stage. Each square represents one square foot. The designer decides to find the area by composing a rectangle. What is the length of the base of the rectangle in feet?
To find the length of the base of the rectangle, we can divide the area of the trapezoid by the height of the trapezoid.
Let's assume the trapezoid looks like the following:
```
***********
* *
* *
* *
* *
***********
```
Let's say the total area of the trapezoid is 60 square feet and the height is 5 feet.
To compose a rectangle, we can arrange the trapezoid like this:
```
********************
* *
* *
* *
* *
********************
```
Now the area of the rectangle is equal to the area of the trapezoid, so the length of the base of the rectangle would be the area divided by the height:
Base = Area / Height
Base = 60 / 5
Base = 12 feet
Therefore, the length of the base of the rectangle is 12 feet.