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Isosceles trapezoid calculator

Fix the longer and shorter parallel bases, then choose one more measurement. Symmetry makes the two legs, two diagonals and each pair of base angles equal.

Calculator

Area
28
Height
4
Each leg
5
Each diagonal
8.06226
Perimeter
24
Acute base angle
53.1301
Obtuse base angle
126.87
Symmetric right triangles
QuantityLength (m)
Horizontal offset of each leg3.00000000
Perpendicular height4.00000000
Hypotenuse of each end triangle5.00000000
Horizontal span of a diagonal7.00000000
Diagonal8.06225775

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How this calculator works

Dropping perpendiculars from the shorter base removes two congruent right triangles. Each has horizontal leg half the difference of the bases. The diagonal instead spans the average base horizontally. These relationships allow area, perimeter, diagonal or an angle to reconstruct the same shape. The calculator requires unequal bases; a rectangle belongs to the rectangle tool.

Formula

x=(L-S)/2; m=(L+S)/2; leg²=h²+x²; diagonal²=h²+m²; K=mh; P=L+S+2leg; acute angle=atan(h/x).

Worked example

Bases 10 m and 4 m leave an offset of 3 m on each end. Height 4 m gives 5 m legs, area 28 m², perimeter 24 m and equal diagonals √65 m.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the leg the same as the height?

The leg is slanted and longer than the perpendicular height when the bases differ.

Can I start with area?

Yes. With both bases fixed, height is area divided by their average, which then determines the legs and angles.

Why reject a short diagonal?

Its horizontal span is already the average base length. A diagonal no longer than that cannot leave a positive height.

Sources

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