as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
provide a set of instructions for a user to determine the area of a trapezoid.
user
instructions for determining the area of a trapezoid:

1. measure the lengths of the parallel sides of the trapezoid (b1, b2).
2. calculate the difference between the two parallel sides (b2-b1).
3. measure the height of the trapezoid (h).
4. multiply the difference with the height (h x (b2-b1)).
5. divide the result by two (h x (b2-b1))/2.
6. the result is the area of the trapezoid.
assistant