Volume of a Trapezoidal Prism Example

When calculating the volume of a trapezoidal prism, we take into account the parallel sides, 'a' and 'b'. The formula for volume can be written as the base area multiplied by the length.

In this example, we have a trapezoidal prism with bases of 4 feet and 5 feet, sides of 4 feet and 4.1 feet, a trapezoid height of 4 feet, and a prism height of 2 feet. To find the volume, we can use the formula:

Volume = Base Area x Length

The base area is calculated by multiplying the length of the parallel sides 'a' and 'b', which are 4 feet and 5 feet respectively, with their corresponding heights. The base area is:

Base Area = (4 + 5) / 2 x 4 = 18 square feet

Now we can calculate the volume by multiplying the base area with the length of the prism:

Volume = Base Area x Length

= 18 square feet x 2 feet

= 36 cubic feet

Therefore, the volume of the trapezoidal prism is 36 cubic feet.

This example illustrates how to apply the formula for calculating the volume of a trapezoidal prism. The same method can be used to find the volume of other trapezoidal prisms with different dimensions.

Volume of a trapezoidal prism example