What is the volume of this prism?

Find the height of the prism and record it in the table. Then, multiply the area of the base by the height of the prism to find the volume.
3D view of a prism with a trapezoidal base. The trapezoid has bases of 4 cm and 8 cm, and a height of 5 cm. The segment connecting the two identical bases is 12 cm.
Area of the base, B Height of the prism, h Volume
V = B · h
30 cm
2

cm
cm
3

1 answer

To find the volume of the prism, we first need to calculate the area of the trapezoidal base, and then use that area along with the height of the prism to determine the volume.

Step 1: Calculate the area of the trapezoidal base

The area \( A \) of a trapezoid can be calculated using the formula:

\[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times (b_1 + b_2) \times h \]

Where:

  • \( b_1 \) is the length of one base,
  • \( b_2 \) is the length of the other base,
  • \( h \) is the height of the trapezoid.

Given:

  • \( b_1 = 4 \) cm,
  • \( b_2 = 8 \) cm,
  • \( h = 5 \) cm (height of the trapezoid).

Substituting the values:

\[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times (4 + 8) \times 5 \] \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times 12 \times 5 \] \[ A = \frac{1}{2} \times 60 \] \[ A = 30 \text{ cm}^2 \]

Step 2: Volume of the prism

Now, we use the area of the base and the height of the prism to find the volume. Given that the height \( h \) of the prism is 12 cm:

\[ V = A \cdot h \] \[ V = 30 \text{ cm}^2 \cdot 12 \text{ cm} \] \[ V = 360 \text{ cm}^3 \]

Summary

  • Area of the base, \( B = 30 \) cm\(^2\)
  • Height of the prism, \( h = 12 \) cm
  • Volume, \( V = 360 \) cm\(^3\)

Final Results

  • Area of the base, \( B \): 30 cm²
  • Height of the prism, \( h \): 12 cm
  • Volume, \( V \): 360 cm³