Step One Begin by drawing a line parallel to the x axis. Create it so it goes through (0,1) This line you have drawn should hit points on the figure at (-5,1) (-2,1) and (3,1) You now have a figure on the bottom that is a trapezoid. It has 2 small triangles on top of it. We'll talk about them later.
Step Two Find the area of the trapezoid. <em>Formula</em> Area = (b1 + b2)*h/2 h = 1 - - 3 = 4 b1 = 3 - - 8 = 11 b2 = 3 - - 5 = 8
Area = (11 + 8)*4 / 2 Area = (19 ) * 2 Area = 38
Step Three Find the area of the small triangle on the left. The base goes from -5 to - 2 which is 3 units. The height goes from 1 to 3 (using the y axis as a reference) which is 2 Area = 1/2 * b * h Area = 1/2 *3 * 2 Area = 3
Step Four Find the area of the small triangle on the right. The base is 5 (see if you can get 5 as an answer) The height is 1.
Area = 1/2 b * h Area = 1/2 5 * 1 Area = 2.5
Step Five Total Area is found by adding the three areas together. Total Area = trapezoid + small triangle on the left + small triangle on the right Total Area = 38 + 3 + 2.5 = 43.5
