CHAPTER 27 AREAS OF COMMON SHAPES

EXERCISE 113 Page 265

1. Find the angles p and q in the diagram below:

p = 180° – 75° = 105° (interior opposite angles of a parallelogram are equal)

q = 180° – 105° – 40° = 35°

2. Find the angles r and s in the diagram below:

r = 180° – 38° = 142° (the 38° angle is the alternate angle between parallel lines)

s = 180° – 47° – 38° = 95°

3. Find the angle t in the diagram below:

t = 360° – 62° – 95° – 57° = 146°

438 © 2014, John Bird

EXERCISE 114 Page 269

1. Name the types of quadrilateral shown in (i) to (iv) below, and determine for each (a) the

area, and (b) the perimeter.

(i) Rhombus

(a) Area = 4 × 3.5 = 14 cm 2

(b) Perimeter = 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 16 cm

(ii) Parallelogram

(a) Area = 30 × 6 = 180 mm 2

(b) Perimeter = 30 + 30 + 2 

( 62 + 82 )  = 80 mm

(iii) Rectangle

(a) Area = 120 × 30 = 3600 mm 2

(b) Perimeter = (2 × 120) + (2 × 30) = 300 mm

(iv) Trapezium

1
(a) Area = ( 26 + 12 ) ×10 = 190 cm 2
2

(b) Perimeter = 26 + 12 +  (102 + 102 )  +  ( 42 + 102 ) 

  

= 26 + 12 + 14.14 + 10.77 = 62.91 cm

439 © 2014, John Bird

2. A rectangular plate is 85 mm long and 42 mm wide. Find its area in square centimetres.

Area of plate = length × width = 85×42 mm 2 = 8.5×4.2 cm 2 = 35.7 cm 2

3. A rectangular field has an area of 1.2 hectares and a length of 150 m. If 1 hectare = 10 000 m2,

find (a) its width, and (b) the length of a diagonal.

Area of field = 1.2 ha = 1.2 × 10 000 m 2 = 12 000 m 2

area 12000
(a) Area = length × width from which, width = = = 80 m
length 150

(b) By Pythagoras, length of diagonal = (1502 + 802 ) = 170 m

4. Find the area of a triangle whose base is 8.5 cm and perpendicular height 6.4 cm.

1 1
Area of triangle = × base × perpendicular height = × 8.5 × 6.4 = 27.2 cm 2
2 2

5. A square has an area of 162 cm 2 . Determine the length of a diagonal.

Let each side of square = x, then area = x 2 = 162

from which, x = 162

Using Pythagoras’ theorem, x 2 + x 2 =

d 2 where d is the length of the diagonal

( ) +( )
2 2
i.e. 162 162 =
d2

i.e. 162 + 162 = d 2

from which, diagonal, d = 324 = 18 cm

6. A rectangular picture has an area of 0.96 m 2 . If one of the sides has a length of 800 mm,

calculate, in millimetres, the length of the other side.

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 area 0.96 ×106 mm 2
Area of picture = length × width from which, width = = = 1200 mm
length 800 mm

7. Determine the area of each of the angle iron sections shown below.

(a) Area = 2 (7 × 2) + (1 × 1) = 28 + 1 = 29 cm 2

(b) Area = (30 × 8) + 10(25 – 8 – 6) + (6 × 50) = 240 + 110 + 300 = 650 mm 2

8. The diagram shows a 4 m wide path around the outside of a 41 m by 37 m garden. Calculate the

area of the path.

Area of path = (41 × 37) – [(41 – 8) × (37 – 8)] = 1517 – 957 = 560 m 2

9. The area of a trapezium is 13.5 cm2 and the perpendicular distance between its parallel sides is

3 cm. If the length of one of the parallel sides is 5.6 cm, find the length of the other parallel side.

1
Area of a trapezium = × (sum of parallel sides) × (perpendicular distance between the parallel
2
sides)

1
Hence, area of trapezium = 13.5 = × (5.6 + b) × 3 where b is the unknown parallel side
2
i.e. 27 = 16.8 + 3b
441 © 2014, John Bird
i.e. 27 – 16.8 = 3b

i.e. 10.2 = 3b
10.2
and the unknown parallel side, b = = 3.4 cm
3

10. Calculate the area of the steel plate shown.

1 
Area of steel plate = (25 × 60) + (140 – 60)(25) + ( 25 ) + (50 × 25) +  × 55 × 50 
2

2 

= 1500 + 2000 + 625 + 1250 + 1375

= 6750 mm 2

11. Determine the area of an equilateral triangle of side 10.0 cm.

An equilateral triangle is shown below.

1
Area of triangle = × base × height
2

By Pythagoras, h 2 + 5.02 =
10.02 and h = 10.02 − 5.02 = 8.66 cm

442 © 2014, John Bird

 1
Area of triangle = ×10.0 × 8.66 = 43.30 cm 2
2

12. If paving slabs are produced in 250 mm by 250 mm squares, determine the number of slabs

required to cover an area of 2 m 2 .

2 ×106 mm 2
Number of slabs = = 32
250 × 250

13. The diagram shows a plan view of an office block to be built. The walls will have a height of

8 m, and it is necessary to make an estimate of the number of bricks required to build the walls.

Assuming that any doors and windows are ignored in the calculation and that 48 bricks are

required to build 1 m 2 of wall, calculate the number of external bricks required.

Length of outside wall = 100 + 40 + 120 + 40 + 200 + 40 + 20 + 40 = 600 m

Area of wall = 600 × 8 = 4800 m 2

Number of external bricks required = 4800 × 48 = 230 400

443 © 2014, John Bird

EXERCISE 115 Page 271

1. A rectangular garden measures 40 m by 15 m. A 1 m flower border is made round the two shorter

sides and one long side. A circular swimming pool of diameter 8 m is constructed in the middle of

the garden. Find, correct to the nearest square metre, the area remaining.

A sketch of a plan of the garden is shown below.

Shaded area = (40 × 15) – [(15 × 1) + (38 × 1) + (15 × 1) + π ( 42 ) ]

= 600 – [15 + 38 + 15 + 16π]

= 600 – 118.27 = 481.73 m 2 = 482 m 2 , correct to the nearest square metre

2. Determine the area of circles having (a) a radius of 4 cm, (b) a diameter of 30 mm and (c) a

circumference of 200 mm.

(a) Area of circle = πr2 = π (4)2 = 16π = 50.27 cm2

πd2 π (30) 2 900π

(b) Area of circle = = = = 706.9 mm2
4 4 4
c 200 100
(c) Circumference, c = 2πr hence radius, r = = = mm
2π 2π π
2
 100  1002
Area of circle = πr = π 
2
 = = 3183 mm2 or 31.83 cm2
 π  π

3. An annulus has an outside diameter of 60 mm and an inside diameter of 20 mm. Determine its

area.

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Area of shaded part = area of large circle – area of small circle

π D2 πd2 π π
= – = (D2 – d2) = (602 – 202) = 2513 mm2
4 4 4 4

4. If the area of a circle is 320 mm2, find (a) its diameter and (b) its circumference.

πd2 πd2
(a) Area of circle = hence 320 =
4 4

320 × 4 320 × 4
i.e. = d2 and diameter, d = = 20.185 = 20.19 mm
π π

(b) Circumference, c = 2πr = πd = π × 20.185 = 63.41 mm

5. Calculate the areas of the following sectors of circles:

(a) radius 9 cm, angle subtended at centre 75°

(b) diameter 35 mm, angle subtended at centre 48°37'

θ2 75 75 × π × 81
(a) Area of sector = (πr2) = (π92) = = 53.01 cm2
360 360 360

(b) If diameter = 35 mm, then radius, r = 35/2 =17.5 mm, and

37
48
48°37 ' 60 (π 17.52 ) = 48.617 (π 17.52 ) = 129.9 mm2
area of sector = (π 17.52 ) =
360 360 360

445 © 2014, John Bird

6. Determine the shaded area of the template shown.

1
Area of template = shaded area = (120 × 90) – π ( 80 ) = 10 800 – 5026.55 = 5773 mm 2
2

7. An archway consists of a rectangular opening topped by a semi-circular arch as shown below.

Determine the area of the opening if the width is 1 m and the greatest height is 2 m.

The semicircle has a diameter of 1 m, i.e. a radius of 0.5 m. Hence, the archway shown is made up

of a rectangle of sides 1 m by 1.5 m and a semicircle of radius 0.5 m.

1
Thus, area of opening = (1.5 × 1) + π ( 0.5 )  = 1.5 + 0.393 = 1.89 m 2
2

2 

8. The major axis of an ellipse is 200 mm and the minor axis 100 mm. Determine the area and

perimeter of the ellipse.

If the major axis = 200 mm, then the semi-major axis, a = 100 mm

If the minor axis = 100 mm, then the semi-minor axis, b = 50 mm

Hence, area of ellipse = πab = π(100)(50) = 15 710 cm 2

and perimeter of ellipse ≈ π(a + b) = π(100 + 50) = 150π = 471 cm

446 © 2014, John Bird

9. If fencing costs £15 per metre, find the cost (to the nearest pound) of enclosing an elliptical plot

of land which has major and minor diameter lengths of 120 m and 80 m.

 120 80 
Perimeter of ellipse = π(a + b) = π  + = 100π m
 2 2 

Hence, cost of fencing = £15 × 100π = £4712 to the nearest pound

10. A cycling track is in the form of an ellipse, the axes being 250 m and 150 m, respectively, for

the inner boundary, and 270 m and 170 m for the outer boundary. Calculate the area of the track.

 270  170   250  150 

Area of an ellipse = πab, hence area of cycle track = π    −π   
 2  2   2  2 

= π(135)(85) – π(125)(75)

= 6597 m 2

447 © 2014, John Bird

EXERCISE 116 Page 273

1. Calculate the area of a regular octagon if each side is 20 mm and the width across the flats is

48.3 mm.

The octagon is shown sketched below and comprises eight triangles of base length 20 mm and

perpendicular height 48.3/2

1 48.3 
Area of octagon = 8  × 20 ×  = 1932 mm 2
 2 2 

2. Determine the area of a regular hexagon which has sides 25 mm.

The hexagon is shown sketched below and comprises six triangles of base length 25 mm and

perpendicular height h as shown.

12.5 12.5
Tan 30° = from which, h = = 21.65 mm
h tan 30°

1 
Hence, area of hexagon = 6  × 25 × 21.65 = 1624 mm 2
2 

448 © 2014, John Bird

3. A plot of land is in the shape shown below. Determine (a) its area in hectares (1 ha = 104 m2), and

(b) the length of fencing required, to the nearest metre, to completely enclose the plot of land.

1 1  1 
(a) Area of land = (30 × 10) + π ( 30 ) + ( 70 )( 40 ) + ( 70 ×100 ) − ( 80 + 45 )(15 ) 
2

2 2  2 

= 300 + 450π + 1400 +[7000 – 937.5]

9176
= 9176 m 2 = ha = 0.918 ha
104

1
(b) Perimeter = 20 + 10 + 30 + 10 + 20 + 20 + ( 2π × 30 ) + 20 + ( 702 + 402 ) + 40
2

+ (152 + 152 ) + 45 + ( 202 + 152 ) + 20

= 110 + 30π + 20 + 80.62 + 40 + 21.21 + 45 + 25 + 20

= 456 m, to the nearest metre.

449 © 2014, John Bird

EXERCISE 117 Page 274

1. The area of a park on a map is 500 mm2. If the scale of the map is 1 to 40 000, determine the true

area of the park in hectares (1 hectare = 104 m2)

500 ×10−6 × ( 40 000 )

2

Area of park = 500 ×10 × ( 40000 ) m =

2
−6 2 ha = 80 ha
104

2. A model of a boiler is made, having an overall height of 75 mm corresponding to an overall height

of the actual boiler of 6 m. If the area of metal required for the model is 12 500 mm 2 , determine,

in square metres, the area of metal required for the actual boiler.

6000
The scale is :1 i.e. 80:1
75

Area of metal required for actual boiler = 12 500 × 10−6 m 2 × ( 80 ) = 80 m 2

2

3. The scale of an Ordnance Survey map is 1:2500. A circular sports field has a diameter of 8 cm

on the map. Calculate its area in hectares, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures.

(1 hectare = 104 m 2 )

π (8)
2
πd2
Area of sports field on map = = ×10−4 m 2
4 4

π (8)
2

×10−4 × ( 2500 )
2
π (8)
2

×10−4 × ( 2500 ) m 2 =4
2
True area of sports field = ha
4 104

= 3.14 ha

450 © 2014, John Bird