Area of Common Figures

Home > Lessons > Area Search | Updated December 18th, 2018
Introduction

There are several sections within this lesson that address common polygons, like
triangles, rectangles, and trapezoids, for instance. Use the following sections to learn more
about all of these common polygons:

Definition of Area
Rectangles
Parallelograms
Triangles
Trapezoids
Circles
Interactive Quizzes
Lesson Ideas
Activities
Related Lessons

Definition of Area A = sum of unit squares

Area is a count of how many unit squares fit inside a figure. To fully understand this
classic definition of area, we need to picture the unit square. A unit square is a square that
is one unit long by one unit wide. It can be 1'x1', 1 m x 1 m, 1 yd x 1 yd, 1" x 1", ...

Unit Square

Area of Rectangles A = lw

A rectangle is an equiangular quadrilateral. Opposite sides are congruent and parallel.

All internal angles are right angles.

Rectangle

Let's look at a rectangle that is 4 mm by 6 mm. If we count the number of 1 mm by 1 mm

squares that are inside the rectangle we can easily see there are 24 of these squares. After
performing the same task with a rectangle that has different dimensions, we can see a
pattern.

The total number of squares that rest within a rectangle can be found by multiplying the
length of a rectangle by its width. So, 4mm x 6mm = 24 mm2, hence the formula A = lw.
Counting square units fits nicely with the concept of counting squares and it also coincides
with a property of algebra. In algebra, we already know (x)(x) = x2. The same is true for mm
times mm, or any unit times the same unit.

Example 1: If l = 20 ft and w = 5 ft, then the area would be...

A = lw
A = (20 ft)(5 ft)
A = 100 ft2

Example 2: If l = 11 yds and w = 7 yds, then the area would be...

A = lw
A = (11 yds)(7 yds)
A = 77 yds2

uiz: Area of Rectangles

Airline Tickets OPEN

Discount Air tickets ights.xiamenair.com

Area of Parallelograms A = bh

A parallelogram is a quadrilateral (four-sided figure) that has opposite sides that are
parallel.

Parallelogram

Similar to the rectangle, finding the area of a parallogram requires two known distances.
We need to know its height and the length of the side that is perpendicular to the height,
called the base of the parallelogram.

If we start with a typical parallelogram, we can make a few alterations to it in order to

calculate its area. If we cut it along its height, we can remove a portion that is a right
triangle. If we move this right triangle to the opposite side of the figure, it will fit perfectly and
create a rectangle.

Since we already know the area of a rectangle (see above) to be A = lw, let us apply it to
the newly altered parallelogram. The base of the original parallogram is now the length of
the rectangle. The height of the parallelogram is now the width of the rectangle. Using the
names base and height instead of length and width, we see that the area of a parallogram
is A = bh.

Example 1: If b = 7 in and h = 4 in, then the area would be...

A = bh
A = (7 in)(4 in)
A = 28 in2

Example 2: If b = 12 m and h = 8 m, then the area would be...

A = bh
A = (12 m)(8 m)
A = 96 m2

uiz: Area of Parallelograms

Airline Tickets OPEN

Discount Air tickets ights.xiamenair.com

Area of Triangles A = ½bh

A triangle is a three-sided polygon.

Triangle

A triangle can be defined by the length of its base and its height. The height is always
perpendicular to the base, exactly like the base and height of a parallelogram. We can find
the area of a triangle by performing three tasks.

First, we duplicate the original triangle. Second, we rotate this duplicate triangle 180
degrees. Third, place the rotated duplicate triangle next to the original triangle so that they
fit snuggly together to form a parallelogram.

We know the area of a parallelogram to be A = bh. In our newly formed diagram, we can
use those same distances to arrive at the exact same area for the two-triangle area.
However, if we want to know the area of one of those triangles instead of the whole
parallelogram, we have to divide the area into two equal portions since the triangles are
congruent to each other. Therefore, the area of a triangle is A = ½bh.

Example 1: If b = 6 cm and h = 3 cm, then the area would be...

A = ½bh
A = ½(6 cm)(3 cm)
A = 9 cm2

Example 2: If b = 14 mi and h = 5 mi, then the area would be...

A = ½bh
A = ½(14 mi)(5 mi)
A = 35 mi2

uiz: Area of Triangles

Reduce Gray Hair

I Remember Standing In My College Apartment Bathroom When I Noticed A Long Silver OPEN
Strand Crankay

Area of Trapezoids A = ½h(b1 + b2)

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral that has only one pair of sides that are parallel.

Trapezoid

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with one pair of sides parallel to each other. Let's orientate
a trapezoid so that the parallel sides are horizontal and the top side is shorter than the
bottom side. Call the length of the top side b1, the bottom side b2, and the height of the
figure h.

Similar to the process we used with a triangle to find a formula for area, we can 1) create
a duplicate trapezoid, 2) rotate the duplicate 180 degrees, and 3) place the duplicate next to
the original trapezoid to form a parallelogram. Using some attention to detail, we can see
that the base of our newly formed parallelogram is b1 + b2, while the height remains the
same as the original trapezoid.

The area of the parallelogram is therefore A = h(b1 + b2). However, since we want to
know the area of one trapezoid, we need to divide this amount by two because the two
trapezoids that were used to create the parallelogram are congruent to each other. This
makes our formula for the area of a trapezoid to be A = ½h(b1 + b2).

Example 1: If b1 = 8 in, b2 = 12 in, and h = 5 in, then the area would be...

A = ½h(b1 + b2)
A = ½(5 in)(8 in + 12 in)
A = ½(5 in)(20 in) = ½(100 in2)
A = 50 in2

Example 2: If b1 = 9 mm, b2 = 16 mm, and h = 10 mm, then the area would be...

A = ½h(b1 + b2)
A = ½(10 mm)(9 mm + 16 mm)
A = ½(10 mm)(25 mm)
A = ½(250 in2)
A = 125 in2

uiz: Area of Trapezoids

Area of Circles A = πr2

A circle is the locus of all points in a plane that are equidistant from a point.

A circle is a set (locus) of points in a plane that are equidistant from a point. The
equidistant amount is known to be the radius of a circle. Even though this simple shape is
everywhere around us, is easy to imagine and draw, the formula for calculating the area of
a circle is not simple to derive.

First, let's start at the center of a circle and cut it into an even number of equally sized
pie-shaped wedges. If we arrange these wedges so they lie next to each other such that
they alternate pointed up and down and up again until all the wedges are used, the resulting
figure will resemble a parallelogram. The more wedges we have, the smaller each wedge
will be and a better looking parallelogram will result.

The distance around a circle is called the circumference. The distance can be calculated
using the formula C = 2πr, where π is the irrational constant approximately equal to 3.14.
Since half of the wedges are pointed up and half are pointed down, our parallelogram will
have a base equal to half of the circumference. The other base on the opposite side would
have a length equal to half the circumference, too. The base, or half the circumference,
would be ½C = ½(2πr) = πr.

The height of our parallelogram would be the length of our wedge, from the point to the
opposite, curved side. This distance is also the radius of the circle. Using the formula for the
area of a parallelogram for a base of πr and a height of r would give us: A = bh = (πr)(r) =
πr2.

This construction is much harder to perform. Actually, it is impossible to perform with

exact precision; however, one can imagine slicing the circle into a number of wedges
greater than the number of wedges shown in the diagram above. As the number of wedges
increases, a cleaner picture more closely resembling a parallelogram would form. Only
when an infinite number of wedges were used could a perfect parallelogram be constructed.

Example 1: If r = 5 ft, then the area would be...

A = πr2
A = π(5 ft)2
A = (3.14159)(25 ft2)
A = 78.53975 ft2
A = 78.54 ft2 (rounded to the nearest hundredth)

Example 2: If r = 9 m, then the area would be...

A = πr2
A = π(9 m)2
A = (3.14159)(81 m2)
A = 254.46879 ft2
A = 254.47 m2 (rounded to the nearest hundredth)

uiz: Area of Circles

Quizmasters

After reading the lessons, try our quizmasters. MATHguide has developed numerous
testing and checking programs to solidify these skills:

uiz: Area of Rectangles

uiz: Area of Parallograms
uiz: Area of Triangles
uiz: Area of Trapezoids
uiz: Area of Circles
uiz: Take a Complete Tour of All Figures!

Lesson Ideas for Discovering Area

Discovery lessons can take on various forms and depths. A teacher can use a teacher-
directed, Socratic method or a teacher can turn the discovery into a cooperative learning,
Montessori exercise. Whether a teacher uses careful direction or provides a few ideas to
guide students to the formulas for area, the discovery approach has been shown to be an
effective strategy to help students become independant, active learners.

As the explanations above for rectangles, parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, and

circles will indicate, the formulas for area of these figures are attainable through discovery.
A teacher can guide students to the formulas using critical questions with relative ease. Or,
a teacher can explain how duplicating and rotating shapes to create known shapes can
make finding area a possibility. Students can then be placed in groups and provide these
groups with tools necessary for creating their own figures.

The extent to which students are left discovering these formulas on their own will depend
on teacher experience with discovery lessons, student familiarity to discovery exercises,
and the maturity levels of students. After students successfully experience the foundations
behind the formulas, they will be able to recall these formulas more readily, apply them
more accurately, and be able to perform similar experiences when discovering volume of
three dimensional solids, which is the next logical sequence for a geometry class.

Activities

This activity reviews the area of several figures within a game format. It also uses ratios.

ctivity: Funky Fundraiser

Related Lessons

After reading the lessons above, try our related lessons.

esson: Areas and Sides of Similar Figures

esson: Classifying Parallelograms
esson: Geometry Proofs
esson: Coordinate Geometry
esson: Properties of Quadrilaterals