Grades 7-8 Video Solutions 2023-2023_7-8

Video Transcription

Question 2. Which of the shapes below cannot be divided into two trapezoids by drawing a single straight line?  In questions like this, it is good to take a look at all of our options and eliminate them one by one.  Let's start off from the end with the square.  A trapezoid is defined as a four-sided shape that has at least one set of parallel lines.  We can take a square and draw a single line like so, and that will give us two trapezoids that match that definition.  So the answer cannot be E.  Take a look at our regular hexagon. You can draw a line like so, and again get two trapezoids. So this will not be the correct answer.  If we take a trapezoid, and just draw a line straight down the middle, again, this will give us two trapezoids  crossing off C. We have a rectangle. Similar to the square, we can draw a line like so, and remove this as an option.  This leaves only option A, triangle, which will be the correct answer.

Video Summary

In the given problem, the goal is to identify which shape cannot be divided into two trapezoids by a single straight line. A trapezoid is a four-sided shape with at least one pair of parallel sides. The process of elimination reveals that a square, regular hexagon, another trapezoid, and a rectangle can each be divided into two trapezoids. However, a triangle, which has only three sides and no parallel lines, cannot be divided into two trapezoids. Therefore, the triangle is the correct answer as it cannot be split into two trapezoids.

Keywords

trapezoid

triangle

geometry

parallel sides

shape division