How to Find the Centroid of a Shaded Area

What is the process to determine the coordinates of the centroid of the shaded area?

Can you explain the formula and steps needed to find the centroid of a trapezoid-shaped shaded area?

Steps to Find the Centroid of a Shaded Area

When dealing with a shaded area in the shape of a trapezoid, you can follow these steps to determine the coordinates of its centroid using the centroid formula.

The centroid of a shape plays a significant role in balancing the shape if it were cut out of a sheet of material. To find the coordinates of the centroid of the shaded area, we can use the formula:

x = (x1A1 + x2A2 + ... + xnAn) / (A1 + A2 + ... + An)
y = (y1A1 + y2A2 + ... + ynAn) / (A1 + A2 + ... + An)

Firstly, you need to determine the vertices of the trapezoid, calculate the areas of the triangles formed, find the centroids of those triangles, and then calculate the weighted sum of the centroids to get the coordinates of the centroid of the shaded area.

Here are the detailed steps to follow:

• Find the coordinates of the vertices of the trapezoid.
• Calculate the areas of the triangles formed by connecting the vertices to the reference point.
• Find the centroids of each triangle by averaging the x and y coordinates of the vertices.
• Calculate the weighted sum of the centroids based on the areas of the triangles.
• Substitute the values into the centroid formula to determine the final coordinates of the centroid.