College

A trapezoid has an area of 38.1 square miles. One base is 4.3 miles long, and the height measures 6 miles. What is the length of the other base?

Answer :

Final answer:

To find the length of the other base of a trapezoid given its area, one base length, and height, we use the area formula for a trapezoid. By substituting the given values into the formula and solving for the unknown base, we find that the other base is 9.4 miles long.

Explanation:

The question asks for the length of the other base of a trapezoid given its area, one base length, and height. To find the answer, we can use the formula for the area of a trapezoid, A = ½(h)(b1 + b2), where A is the area, h is the height, and b1 and b2 are the lengths of the two bases. We're given that the area (A) is 38.1 square miles, one base (b1) is 4.3 miles, and the height (h) is 6 miles.

Substitute the given values into the formula: 38.1 = ½(6)(4.3 + b2). Simplify and solve for b2, which gives b2 = (38.1 / 3) - 4.3. This results in the other base length being 9.4 miles long.