Mammoth Memory

Area of a trapezium or trapezoid or parallelogram

To remember the area of a trapezium or trapezoid or parallelogram use the following mnemonic:

Sing the nursery rhyme "Pop Goes the Weasel".

i.e. Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

But sing the song using these words:

Half the sum of the parallel sides.
Times the distance between them.
This is how to calculate,
The area of the trapezium.

This is how it works.

Half the sum of the parallel sides.

Half the sum of the parallel sides.

Times the distance between them.

Times the distance between them.

This is how to calculate, the area of a trapezium.

This is how to calculate, the area of a trapezium.

Example 1

Find the area of the trapezium.

Find the area of the trapezium

Sing: Half the sum of the parallel sides.

`(12+14)/2=26/2=13`

Times the distance between them.

`13xx10 = 130`

This is how to calculate the area of the trapezium.

`"ans"="the area of a trapezium"=130cm^2`

Or using the formula.

`"area"=((a+b))/2xxh`

`"area"=((12+14))/2xx10 = 130cm^2`

Example 2

Find the area of the trapezium.

Find the area of the trapezium

Sing: Half the sum of the parallel sides.

`(6+8)/2=7`

Times the distance between them.

`7xx4 = 28`

This is how to calculate the area of the trapezium.

`"ans"="the area of a trapezium"=28m^2`

Or using the formula.

`"Area"=((a+b))/2xxh`

`"Area"=((6+8))/2xx4 = 28m^2`

This is how you calculate the area of a trapezium or trapezoid or parallelogram.

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