Use the image to answer the question.
An illustration shows a trapezoid with parallel sides on the top and bottom. The top side is 24 centimeters and bottom side is 20 centimeters. Two perpendicular dotted lines of 10 centimeters are drawn from the bottom vertices to the top side. The two perpendicular lines are denoted by 4 right angle symbols.
What is the area of the quadrilateral?
To find the area of the trapezoid, you can divide it into two triangles and one rectangle by drawing a horizontal line from one top vertex to the other.
The top base of the trapezoid is 24 cm, and the bottom base is 20 cm. The height of the trapezoid is the length of the vertical line from the top base to the bottom base, which is 10 cm.
The area of the trapezoid can be calculated using the formula:
Area = (1/2) * (sum of bases) * height
Area = (1/2) * (24 + 20) * 10
Area = (1/2) * 44 * 10
Area = 220 square centimeters
Therefore, the area of the quadrilateral is 220 square centimeters.