The largest group of quadrilaterals is parallelograms, or those that have two sets of parallel sides. However, there are two more groups of quadrilaterals - those that have only one set of parallel sides and those that have none. The group of quadrilaterals with only one set of parallel sides is known as trapezoids. In this topic, you will explore the properties of trapezoids, as well as discover the unique attributes of an isosceles trapezoid.

Essential Question

• How can you apply properties of a trapezoids and isosceles trapezoids to solve problems?

 

Warm-Up

A triangle is a two-dimensional figure with three sides and three angles. A trapezoid is two-dimensional figure with four sides, two of which are parallel. The diagonals of a trapezoid divide the interior region into four triangles. Therefore, knowing the properties of a triangle will help you in this topic. Before you explore trapezoids, review the properties of triangles in this non-graded interactivity. Click the player button to get started.