Talk:Trapezoid

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What does a trapezoid look like?Bold 2603:9001:A00:67D:400A:9661:8779:D1FE (talk) 23:31, 11 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Talk pages are not forums, but I'm sure you can see images of trapezoids in the article. - S L A Y T H E - (talk) 15:47, 14 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Median formula by similarity

If I am not mistaken, the median of a trapezoid can be obtained by similarity, involving one of the trapexoid's legs other than two bases. Here $EG$ is the median. Finding $EG$ is ${\frac {AB\times DE+CD\times AE}{AE+DE}}.$ @David Eppstein, @Jacobolus, did this formula appear in US junior or high school? Dedhert.Jr (talk) 08:27, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think anyone other than a schoolteacher is likely to remember precisely which methods for deriving particular formulas appear in school. If you hunt in textbooks you can see for yourself how they usually explain/prove these kinds of metrical identities. –jacobolus (t) 13:21, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Jacobolus. I mean, would it be fine to include this, as long as there is a reliable source, even though it uses other languages than English? Dedhert.Jr (talk) 13:32, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Are you asking whether we need a geometric proof for the formula

m={\tfrac {1}{2}}(a+b)

? Probably not, but what did you have in mind? –jacobolus (t) 13:44, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't ask for geometric proof for that formula. I'm asking for including another formula, which is used from another. I mean, there is a study of the formula I have mentioned earlier, so it is worth it for WP:NEUTRAL. But again, I prefer to hear the opinion. Dedhert.Jr (talk) 13:57, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

What's the point of this other formula / what's the context? I thought the point was to prove the midsegment length formula. Maybe you can elaborate on what you have in mind, or link your non-English source(s). –jacobolus (t) 18:54, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Non-English sources? Yes I do have. But the sources are tertiary and websites. I am shocked that English sources never mentions this formula. The formula is related to the congruence ( I could somehow confused mentioning it with the similarity), where median divides the length of legs unequally. Dedhert.Jr (talk) 04:00, 13 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Trapezoid as a graphical symbol

I took out the following unsourced passage, which seems fairly marginal:

In computer engineering, specifically digital logic and computer architecture, trapezoids are typically utilized to symbolize multiplexors. Multiplexors are logic elements that select between multiple elements and produce a single output based on a select signal. Typical designs will employ trapezoids without specifically stating they are multiplexors as they are universally equivalent.

Someone might want to write more about trapezoids as a graphical symbol and include a slimmed down version of this particular example, but it would take finding sources and fleshing it out. –jacobolus (t) 13:36, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Why not? Aside from the graphical symbols, trapezoids also used in the highways signs. I have found Ontario Highway 502. Dedhert.Jr (talk) 03:57, 13 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Characterizations vs. properties

I'm not sure how helpful it is to have these two sections separated. The characterizations of a trapezoid are all "properties", and many properties can be used as characterizations. Even if these sections are going to be separated, I'm not sure the characterizations section should come first; that order seems less accessible and helpful to readers. The § Condition of existence section probably also belongs under Properties somewhere. –jacobolus (t) 17:59, 12 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Jacobolus I could only think of characterizations merged into the properties sections based on the elements (e.g. angles, diagonals, etc.) Condition of existence is probably the next subsection. Dedhert.Jr (talk) 03:55, 13 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]