TRAPEZIUM

In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is referred to
as a trapezoid.
The parallel sides are called the bases of the trapezoid and the other two sides are called
the legs or the lateral sides (if they are not parallel; otherwise there are two pairs of bases).

Special cases

A right trapezoid (also called right-angled trapezoid) has two adjacent right angles.[7] Right
trapezoids are used in the trapezoidal rule for estimating areas under a curve.
An acute trapezoid has two adjacent acute angles on its longer base edge, while an obtuse
trapezoid has one acute and one obtuse angle on each base.
An isosceles trapezoid is a trapezoid where the base angles have the same measure. As a
consequence the two legs are also of equal length and it has reflection symmetry. This is
possible for acute trapezoids or right trapezoids (rectangles).
A parallelogram is a trapezoid with two pairs of parallel sides. A parallelogram has central 2-
fold rotational symmetry (or point reflection symmetry). It is possible for obtuse trapezoids or right
trapezoids (rectangles).
A tangential trapezoid is a trapezoid that has an incircle.
A Saccheri quadrilateral is similar to a trapezoid in the hyperbolic plane, with two adjacent right
angles, while it is a rectangle in the Euclidean plane. A Lambert quadrilateral in the hyperbolic
plane has 3 right angles.

Condition of existence
Four lengths a, c, b, d can constitute the consecutive sides of a non-parallelogram trapezoid
with a and b parallel only when
|d-c| < |b-a| < d+c
The quadrilateral is a parallelogram when
d-c = b-a = 0
but it is an ex-tangential quadrilateral (which is not a trapezoid) when
|d-c| = |b-a| ≠ 0

Characterizations
Given a convex quadrilateral, the following properties are equivalent, and each implies that the
quadrilateral is a trapezoid:


It has two adjacent angles that are supplementary, that is, they add up to 180 degrees.

The angle between a side and a diagonal is equal to the angle between the opposite side
and the same diagonal.

The diagonals cut each other in mutually the same ratio (this ratio is the same as that
between the lengths of the parallel sides).

The diagonals cut the quadrilateral into four triangles of which one opposite pair
are similar.

The diagonals cut the quadrilateral into four triangles of which one opposite pair have
equal areas.[10]:Prop.5

The product of the areas of the two triangles formed by one diagonal equals the product
of the areas of the two triangles formed by the other diagonal. [10]:Thm.6

The areas S and T of some two opposite triangles of the four triangles formed by the
diagonals satisfy the equation

√K = √S +√T
Where K is the area of the quadrilateral.

The midpoints of two opposite sides and the intersection of the diagonals are collinear.

The angles in the quadrilateral ABCD satisfy sin A sin C = sin B sin D

The cosines of two adjacent angles sum to 0, as do the cosines of the other two angles.

The cotangents of two adjacent angles sum to 0, as do the cotangents of the other two
adjacent angles.[10]:p. 26

One bimedian divides the quadrilateral into two quadrilaterals of equal areas. [10]:p. 26

Twice the length of the bimedian connecting the midpoints of two opposite sides equals
the sum of the lengths of the other sides.[10]:p. 31

Additionally, the following properties are equivalent, and each implies that opposite
sides a and b are parallel:


The consecutive sides a, c, b, d and the diagonals p, q satisfy the equation[10]:Cor.11

p2 + q2 = c2 + d2 + 2ab

The distance v between the midpoints of the diagonals satisfies the equation

V = |a-b|/ 2
Midsegment and height
The midsegment (also called the median or midline) of a trapezoid is the segment that joins
the midpoints of the legs. It is parallel to the bases. Its length m is equal to the average of the
lengths of the bases a and b of the trapezoid.
m = (a+ b)/ 2
The midsegment (median) of a trapezoid is one of the two bimedians (the other bimedian divides
the trapezoid into equal areas).
The height (or altitude) is the perpendicular distance between the bases. In the case that the two
bases have different lengths (a ≠ b), the height of a trapezoid h can be determined by the length
of its four sides using the formula.

h = √[(-a+b+c+d)(a-b+c+d)(a+b-c+d)(a+b+c-d)]/ 2|b-a|

where c and d are the lengths of the legs.

Area

The area K of a trapezoid is given by

K = h(a+b)/2 = mh
where a and b are the lengths of the parallel sides, h is the height (the perpendicular distance
between these sides), and m is the arithmetic mean of the lengths of the two parallel sides.
K = (a+b)/ |a-b| * √[(s-b)(s-a)(s-b-c)(s-b-d)] (similar to Hiron’s Formula of a triangle)
s = ½ * (a+b+c+d) , where is the semiperimeter of the trapezoid.

Diagonals

The lengths of the diagonals are

p = √[(ab2-a2b-ac2+bd2)/ (b-a)]

q= √[(ab2-a2b-ad2+bc2)/ (b-a)]
where a is the short base, b is the long base, and c and d are the trapezoid legs.

If the trapezoid is divided into four triangles by its diagonals AC and BD (as shown on the right),
intersecting at O, then the area of ∆ AOD is equal to that of ∆ BOC, and the product of the areas
of ∆AOD and ∆BOC is equal to that of ∆AOB and ∆ COD. The ratio of the areas of each pair of
adjacent triangles is the same as that between the lengths of the parallel sides.
Let the trapezoid have vertices A, B, C, and D in sequence and have parallel sides AB and DC.
Let E be the intersection of the diagonals, and let F be on side DA and G be on side BC such
that FEG is parallel to AB and CD. Then FG is the harmonic mean of AB and DC:

1/FG = ½ (1/AB + 1/DC)

The line that goes through both the intersection point of the extended nonparallel sides and the
intersection point of the diagonals, bisects each base.

Other properties

The centre of area (centre of mass for a uniform lamina) lies along the line segment joining the
midpoints of the parallel sides, at a perpendicular distance x from the longer side b given by
x = h/3 (2a+b/ a+b)

The centre of area divides this segment in the ratio (when taken from the short to the long side).
(a+2b)/(2a+b)

If the angle bisectors to angles A and B intersect at P, and the angle bisectors to
angles C and D intersect at Q, then
PQ = |AD+BC-AB-CD|/2