The irregular shape below has one straight side divided into 4 equal parts, that is 4 m apart. The ordinates dividing the parts are: 4 m; 4,5 m; 4,7 m; 4,9 m; 3,6 m. Calculate the area with the mid-ordinate rule.

The problem states the shape is divided into 4 equal parts, and the distance between these parts (the width of each strip) is $4 \text{ m}$. So, $w = 4 \text{ m}$.
From the diagram, the heights labeled within each of the 4 strips are the mid-ordinates:
$M_1 = 4 \text{ m}$
$M_2 = 4.5 \text{ m}$
$M_3 = 4.7 \text{ m}$
$M_4 = 4.9 \text{ m}$
(The value $3.6 \text{ m}$ mentioned in the text as one of the "ordinates dividing the parts" is not used as a mid-ordinate, as there are only 4 strips and the diagram clearly shows 4 mid-ordinates.)

The area of the irregular shape is \boxed{\text{72.4 m}^2}}.