Trapezoids or trapeziums look like quadrilaterals characterized by having two parallel as well as two non-parallel sides. They are four-sided closed shapes with a perimeter and a surface area. The bases represent the parallel sides while the legs or lateral represent the non-parallel sides of the trapezium. The height is the difference between the pair of parallel sides.
When it comes to calculating the area of a trapezoid in mathematics, the process can be quite time-consuming. However, it is possible to simplify this calculation by developing a straightforward C program that efficiently computes the area. By taking input from the user and utilizing appropriate mathematical formulas, the program can accurately determine the area of a trapezoid.
What is a Trapezoid?
The term “trapezium” refers to a polygon with a single set of parallel sides. It isn’t clear what exactly a trapezium is. One school of mathematics claims that there can only be one pair of parallel sides in a trapezium, while another believes that there can be multiple pairs of parallel sides in a trapezium. If we consider the second definition, the parallelogram represents a trapezium according to that standard. However, the first definition doesn’t consider a parallelogram as a trapezium.
Area of a Trapezoid
The average length of two bases can be used to calculate the area of a trapezoid by multiplying it by the height. The mathematical formula for calculating the area of the trapezoid is given as.
Area = 1/2
(base1+base2) h
Here base1 and base2 represent the bases of the trapezoid while h represents the height of the trapezoid.
C Program to Determine the Trapezoid Area
The following C program will determine the area of a trapezoid.
int main() {
float base1, base2, height, area;
printf("Enter base1 of trapezoid: ");
scanf("%f", & base1);
printf("Enter base2 of trapezoid: ");
scanf("%f", & base2);
printf("Enter height of the trapezoid: ");
scanf("%f", & height);
area = ((base1 + base2) / 2) * height;
printf("Area of Trapezoid: %f m²\n", area);
return 0;
}
Conclusion
Trapezoids or trapeziums look like quadrilaterals characterized by having two parallel and two non-parallel sides. Calculating their area can be time-consuming, but it can be easier to calculate using the formula: Area = (1/2) × (base1 + base2) × height. A C program can efficiently compute the area by taking user input and applying the formula. By utilizing these mathematical concepts, the area of a trapezoid can be accurately determined.
