Area of squares, rectangles and compound shapes
The area of a 2D shape is the amount of space inside it. Examples of units of area are mm2, cm2, and m2.
Example
What is the area of this shape, if the area of each grid square is 1 cm2?
There are 10 squares contained in this shape.
The area of the shape is 10 cm2.
Area of squares and rectangles
The area of each square is 1 cm2. There are 12 squares contained in this rectangle.
The area of the rectangle is 12 cm2.
The area of a rectangle can also be calculated using the following formula.
\(\text{Area of a rectangle} = \text{length} \times \text{width}\)
Question
What is the total area of the field?
Area = \(10 \times 5 = 50~\text{m}^2\)
Area of compound shapes
The area of a compound shape can be calculated by adding the areas of the shapes it is made from.
Example
Calculate the area of the compound shape.
Method 1
Calculate the area of the large rectangle.
\(8 \times (4 + 4 + 4) = 8 \times 12 = 96~\text{cm}^2\)
Calculate the area of the square which has been removed.
Subtract the area of this square from the rectangle.
\(96 - 16 = 80~\text{cm}^2\)
Method 2
Break the shape into two squares and a rectangle.
Calculate the area of each shape.
\(4 \times 4 = 16~\text{cm}^2\), \(4 \times 4 = 16~\text{cm}^2\), \(4 \times 12 = 48~\text{cm}^2\)
Add the three areas together.
\(16 + 16 + 48 = 80~\text{cm}^2\)