If a trapezoid has area 24, heigh 6, and one of the parallel sides has length 3:
My math goes like this:

A= 1/2(b+C)h

So, 24 = (3+c)6/2 = 18 + 6c /2 = 9+3c = c = 3

The VP on demand example says it is 5. It goes from 24 = 6(3+c)/2 TO 8 = 3B. I don't understand how it gets to this.

Many thanks,

Warren

You're close. The second step has an error in it.
You're right that we have (1/2)(b+c)h.
But your math seems to take a wrong term

So we have
24 = 1/2 * (b+c) * h
48 = (b+c) * h
48 = (3+c) * 6
48 = 18 + 6c
30 = 6c
5 = c

Or, in a different order:

24 = 1/2 * (b+c) * h
24 = 1/2 * (3 + c) * 6
24 = 1/2 * (18 + 6c)
24 = 9 + 3c
15 = 3c
5 = c

Veritas Help

thank you!