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Trapezoidal Rule
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Trapezoidal rule is one of the fundamental rules of integration which is used to define the
basic definition of integration. It is a widely used rule and the Trapezoidal rule is named so
because it gives the area under the curve by dividing the curve into small trapezoids instead
of rectangles.

Generally, we find the area under the curve by dividing the area into smaller rectangles and
then finding the sum of all the rectangles but in the trapezoidal rule the area under the curve
is divided into trapezoids and then their sum is calculated. The trapezoidal rule is used to find
the value of the definite integrals in numerical analysis. This rule is also called the trapezoid
rule or the trapezium rule. Let us learn more about the trapezoidal rule, its formula and proof,
example, and others in detail in this article.

What is Trapezoidal Rule?

The trapezoidal rule is a rule which is used to find the value of the definite integral of the
form b∫a f(x) dx. We know that the value of the definite integral b∫a f(x) dx is the area enclosed
under the curve y = f(x) and the x-axis in the interval a and b on the x-axis. We calculate this
area by dividing the complete area into several small rectangles and then finding their sum.

In the Trapezoidal rule as the name suggest the area under the curve is divided into several
trapezoids and then their sum is found to get the area of the curve. The trapezoidal rule does
not provide the best approximation of the area under the curve than the Simpson’s Rule but
still, its result is precise enough and this rule is a widely used rule in calculus.

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Trapezoidal Rule Formula
The trapezoidal rule formula is the formula that is used to find the area under the curve. Now
to find the area under the curve using the Trapezoidal Rule,

Let y = f(x) be a continuous curve defined on the closed interval [a, b]. Now we divide the
closed interval [a, b] into n equal subintervals, with each having the width of,

Δx = (b – a)/n

Such that,

a = x0 < x1 < x2 < ⋯ < xn = b

Now using the Trapezoidal rule formula we can find the area under the curve as,

∫ba f(x) dx = Area Under the Curve = (Δx/2) [y0 + 2 (y1 + y2 + y3 + ….. + yn-1) + yn]

where, y0, y1, y2, …. yn are the values of function at x = 1, 2, 3, ….., n respectively.

Derivation of Trapezoidal Rule Formula

The Trapezoidal Rule formula for calculating the area under the curve is derived by dividing
the area under the curve into several trapezoids and then finding their sum.

Statement:

Let f(x) be a continuous function defined on the interval (a, b). Now we divide the intervals (a,
b) into n equal sub-intervals where the width of each interval is,

Δx = (b – a)/n

such that a = x0 < x1 < x2 < x3 <…..< xn = b

Then the Trapezoidal Rule formula is,

∫baf(x) dx ≈ △x/2 [f(x0) + 2f(x1) + 2f(x2) +….2f(xn-1) + f(xn)]

where, xi = a + i△x

If n → ∞, the R.H.S of the expression gives the definite integral

Proof:
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This formula is proved by dividing the area under the given curve as shown in the above
figure into various trapezoids. The first trapezoid has a height Δx and the length of parallel
bases are f(x0) and f(x1)

The area of the first trapezoid = (1/2) Δx [f(x0) + f(x1)]

Similarly, the area of the remaining trapezoids are (1/2)Δx [f(x1) + f(x2)], (1/2)Δx [f(x2) + f(x3)],
and so on.

Now we can say that,

∫ba f(x) dx ≈ (1/2)Δx (f(x0)+f(x1) ) + (1/2)Δx (f(x1)+f(x2) ) + (1/2)Δx (f(x2)+f(x3) ) + … + (1/2)Δx

(f(xn-1) + f(xn) )

After simplifying we get,

∫ba f(x) dx≈ (Δx/2) (f(x0)+2 f(x1)+2 f(x2)+2 f(x3)+ … +2f(xn-1) + f(xn))

Thus, the trapezoidal rule is proved.

How to Apply Trapezoidal Rule?

The trapezoidal rule finds the area under the curve by dividing the area under the curve into
various trapezoids and then find the sum of all the trapezoids. The trapezoidal rule is not the
perfect approximation of the value of the definite integral as it uses the quadratic
approximation.

We have to find the value of the definite integral, ∫ba f(x) dx. The value of the definite integral
can be calculated using the trapezoidal rule by following the steps below,

Step 1: Mark the value of sub-intervals, “n” and intervals “a” and “b”.

Step 2: Find the width of sub-interval (△x) using the formula △x = (b – a)/n

Step 3: Put all the values in the trapezoidal rule formula and find the approximate area
of the given curve which represents the definite integral ∫ba f(x) dx

∫ba f(x) dx ≈ (Δx/2) (f(x0)+2 f(x1)+2 f(x2)+2 f(x3)+ … +2f(xn-1) + f(xn))

where, xi = a + i△x

Summation Notation of Trapezoidal Rule

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We know that the area of a trapezoid is basically the average of the lengths of the parallel
sides multiplied by the height. So, in this case, consider a trapezoid for the ith interval,

Since the total area is the sum of all the areas,

A = A1 + A2 + ….+ An

⇒A=

⇒A=

This is called the sigma notation or summation notation of the trapezoid sums.

Riemann Sums
The Riemann sums up work on the idea of diving the area under the curve into different
rectangular parts. As the number of rectangles increases, the area becomes closer and closer
to the current area. In the figure shown below, there is a function f(x). The area under this
function is divided into many rectangles. The total area under the curve is the sum of the
areas of all the rectangles.

Notice that in the above figure, the right end of the rectangles touches the curve. This is
called right-Riemann sums.
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In another case, when the left end of the rectangles touches the curve as shown in the image
below, they are called left Riemann sums.

Let’s say Δx is the width of the interval width n is the number of intervals as stated above.
Then the area of the curve represented by the sum is given by,

Middle Point Sums

In the Riemann sums, either the left end or the right end of the rectangle touches the curve.
In this case, the middle point of the rectangle touches the curve. Everything else is the same
as Riemann sums. The figure below shows the function f(x) and different rectangles in the
middle point sums.

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Let’s say Ai denotes the area of the ith rectangle. The area of this rectangle in this case will
be,

Now, the total area in the summation notation will be given by,

Read More,

Integration Formulas
Integration by Parts
Differentiation and Integration Formula

Solved Example on Trapezoidal Rule

Example 1: Find the area enclosed by the function f(x) between x = 0 to x = 4 with 4
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 f(x) = 4

Solution:

Here a = 0, b = 4 and n = 4.

The trapezoidal rule for n = 4 is,

Substituting the values in this equation,

Example 2: Find the area enclosed by the function f(x) between x = 0 to x = 3 with 3
intervals.

f(x) = x

Solution:

Here a = 0, b = 3 and n = 3.

The trapezoidal rule for n = 3 is,

Substituting the values in this equation,

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Example 3: Find the area enclosed by the function f(x) between x = 0 to x = 2 with 2
intervals.

f(x) = 2x

Solution:

Here a = 0, b = 2 and n = 2.

The trapezoidal rule for n = 2 is,

Substituting the values in this equation,

Example 4: Find the area enclosed by the function f(x) between x = 0 to x = 3 with 3
intervals.

f(x) = x2

Solution:

Here a = 0, b = 3 and n = 3.

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 The trapezoidal rule for n = 3 is,

Substituting the values in this equation,

Example 5: Find the area enclosed by the function f(x) between x = 0 to x = 4 with 4
intervals.

f(x) = x3 + 1

Solution:

Here a = 0, b = 4 and n = 4.

The trapezoidal rule for n = 4 is,

Substituting the values in this equation,

Example 6: Find the area enclosed by the function f(x) between x = 0 to x = 4 with 4
intervals.
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 f(x) = ex

Solution:

Here a = 0, b = 4 and n = 4.

The trapezoidal rule for n = 4 is,

Substituting the values in this equation,

FAQs on Trapezoidal Rule

Q1: What is Trapezoidal Rule?

Answer:

The trapezoidal rule is the rule that is used to find the definite integral it divides the
area under the curve into several trapezoids and then their individual area is found and
then the sum is calculated to get the value of the definite integral.

Q2: What is the Trapezoidal Rule Formula?

Answer:

The
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 ∫ba f(x) dx = (Δx/2) (f(x0)+2 f(x1)+2 f(x2)+2 f(x3)+ … +2f(xn-1) + f(xn))

Q3: Why is it Called Trapezoidal Rule Formula?

Answer:

Trapezoidal Rule Formula is called the trapezoidal rule because it divides the area
under the curve into several trapezoids and then their area is calculated by finding the
sum of the trapezoids.

Q4: What is the Difference Between Trapezoidal Rule and Riemann Sums Rule?

Answer:

The major difference between the Trapezoidal rule and Riemann Sums rule is, as the
trapezoidal rule divides the area under the curve as the trapezoids and then finds the
area by taking their sum whereas, the Riemann Sums divides the area under the curve
as the trapezium and then finds the area by taking their sum.

Last Updated : 10 Jun, 2023 3

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