The area of trapezoid is h( b1+b2)/5,
where h is the altitude, and b1 and b2 are the lenghts of the parallel bases. If trapezoid has an altitude of 5 inches, an area of 55 square inches , and one base 12 inches long, what is the lenghth, in inches, of its other base?
To find the length of the other base of the trapezoid, we can rearrange the formula for the area of a trapezoid.
The formula for the area of a trapezoid is:
A = (b1 + b2) * h / 2
where A is the area, b1 and b2 are the lengths of the parallel bases, and h is the altitude.
In this case, we are given the following values:
A = 55 square inches
h = 5 inches
b1 = 12 inches
We can substitute these values into the formula and solve for b2:
55 = (12 + b2) * 5 / 2
To solve for b2, we can start by multiplying both sides of the equation by 2 to get rid of the fraction:
110 = (12 + b2) * 5
Next, we can distribute the 5:
110 = 60 + 5b2
Then, we can subtract 60 from both sides:
50 = 5b2
Finally, we can divide both sides by 5 to solve for b2:
b2 = 10
Therefore, the length of the other base of the trapezoid is 10 inches.