Area Of Shapes.

2cm

5cm

12m
10m

A1
A2

3cm
16m

8cm

7cm

A1
12cm

A2

What Is Area ?
Area is the amount of space inside a shape:
Area
Area
Area
Area

Area
Area
Area
Area

Area
Area
Area
Area

Area
Area
Area
Area

Area
Area
Area
Area

Area is measured in square centimetres.

1cm2

A square centimetre is a square measuring

one centimetre in each direction.

1cm

It is written as : 1cm2

1cm

Estimating The Area.

Look at the four shapes below and use your judgement to order
them from smallest to largest area:

A
C
D

To decide the order of areas consider the four shapes again:

A
C
D

To measure the area we must determine how many square centimetres

are in each shape:
Each shape is covered by 36 squares measuring a centimetre by a
centimetre .We can now see that all the areas are equal at 36cm2 each.

Area Of A Rectangle.
Look again at one of the shapes whose area we estimated:

Breadth

Length
What was the length of the rectangle ?

9cm

How many rows of 9 squares can the breadth hold ? 4

We can now see that the area of the rectangle is given by 9 x 4.
The formula for the area of a rectangle is:
Area = Length x Breadth

or

A = LB

for short.

We can now calculate the area of each rectangle very quickly:

(1)
(2)

A= L x B
A = 12 x 3 =36cm2
A= L x B

(3)

A = 6 x 6 =36cm2
(4)

A= L x B

A= L x B

A = 18 x 2 =36cm2

A = 9 x 4 =36cm2

Example 1
Calculate the area of the rectangle below:
(1)

4cm
7cm

(2)

Solution

3m
This area is in square metres:

A = LB

Solution

L=7

B=4

A= 7 x 4

A= 3 x 5
A = 28cm2

A = 15m2

1m
1m

A = LB
L=3

5m

B=5

Example 3.
2cm

Solution.
Split the shape up into two rectangles:
Calculate the area of A1 and A2.

5cm

A1
A2

3cm

8cm
Calculate the area of the shape above:

A2
A1
6

Area = A1 + A2
Area = ( 2 x 5) + (6 x 3)
Area = 10 + 18
Area = 28cm2

What Goes In The Box ?

Find the area of the shapes below :
(1)
6cm

(2)
2.7m

8cm
48cm2

4.2m

17cm

11.34m2

(3)

5cm
12cm
141cm2
8cm

The Area Of A Triangle.

Consider the right angled triangle below:
What is the area of the triangle ?
Area = x 40 = 20cm2

5cm

Height
8 cm
What shape is the triangle half of ?
Rectangle
What is the area of the rectangle?
Area = 8 x 5 = 40 cm2

Base
The formula for the area
of a triangle is:
Area = x Base x Height
A = BH

Does the formula apply to all triangles ?

Height (H)
Base (B)
Can we make this triangle into a rectangle ?
Yes
The triangle is half the area of this rectangle:
The areas marked A1 are equal.
A1

A2
A1
B

A2

The areas marked A2 are equal.

For all triangles:
Area = BH

Calculate the areas of the triangles below:

Example 1

Example 2

6cm

3.2m
10cm

6.4m

Solution.

Solution.

Area = x base x height

Area = x base x height

base = 10 cm

height = 6cm

base = 6.4m

height = 3.2m

Area = x 10 x 6

Area = x 6.4 x 3.2

Area = x 60 = 30cm2

Area = x 20.48 = 10.24m2

Example 3.
Calculate the area of the shape below:
12m
10m

Solution.
Divide the shape into parts:
Area = A1 + A2

A1

A2
16m

10

A1

10

12

A2
16-12 =4

Area = LB + 1/2 BH
Area = 10 x 12 + x 4 x 10
Area = 120 + 20
Area = 140m2

What Goes In The Box ? 2

Find the area of the shapes below :
40cm2

(1)

(2)
6.3m

10cm

10.2 m

8cm

32.13m2

18m
(3)
12m
25m

258m2

The Area Of A Trapezium.

A Trapezium is any closed shape which has two sides that are
parallel and two sides that are not parallel.

We are now going to find a formula for the area of the trapezium:
b
Area = A1 + ( A2 + A3 )
h
Area = b x h + x (a - b) x h
a

Area = bh + h(a - b)

Divide the shape into parts:

Area = bh + ah bh
A2

A1

A3

Area = ah + bh

Work out the dimensions of the shapes:

b
h
h
A2
A3
A1
ab

Area = h ( a + b )
Often common sense is as
good as the formula to work
out the area of a trapezium.

Example 1
Calculate the area of the trapezium below :
11cm
Solution ( Using the formula).
13cm

Area = h ( a + b )
a = 16

16cm

b =11

h = 13

Area = x 13 x ( 16 + 11 )
Area = x 13 x 27
Area = 175.5cm2

11cm

Solution ( Using composite shapes).

Divide the shape into parts:

13cm

Area = rectangle + triangle

Area = LB + BH

16cm

Area = (11x 13) + ( x 5 x 13 )

Area = 143 + 32.5
Area = 175.5cm2

11
13

13
16 11 = 5

Decide for yourself if you

prefer the formula or composite
shapes.

Example 2
Divide the shape into parts:
Area = rectangle + triangle
8m

14m

Area = LB + B H
A = ( 10 x 8 ) + ( x 6 x 10 )
10m

A = 80 + 30
A = 110 m 2

10

10
8

14 8 = 6

What Goes In The Box ? 3

Find the area of the shapes below :
13cm
(1)

165cm2

10cm
(2)
20cm
2.7m
19.85m2 (to 2 d.p)

4.9m

5.4m

The Area Of A Circle.

Consider the circle below divided into quarters:

We are going to place the quarters

as shown to make the shape below

We can fit a rectangle around this shape:

At the moment it is hard to see why this
should tell us how to calculate the area of
a circle.

Now consider the same circle split into eight

parts:
The eight parts are arranged into the same
pattern as last time:
L
B
This time the shapes fit the rectangle
more closely:

L
B
This time the shapes fit the rectangle
more closely:
What length must the breadth B be close to ?
B=r
What length must the length L be close to ?
Half of the circumference of the circle.
If C = 2 r then L = r .
We now have an approximate length and breadth of our rectangle.

.
r
What is the area of the rectangle ?
A= r x r
A= r 2
If the circle was split into more and more smaller segments and the
segments arranged in the same pattern, then the parts would become
the rectangle shown above.
See Autograph Extras, New, Area Of Circle for further info.
r

Conclusion.
The area of a circle of radius r is given by the formula
A = r 2.

Find the area of the circles below:

Example 1.
20 cm

Example 2
2.7m

A= r 2

A= r 2

r = 10

r = 1.35m

A = 3.14 x 10 x 10

A = 3.14 x 1.35 x 1.35

A = 314 cm2

A = 5.72m2 ( to 2 d.p)

Example 4

Example 3
7cm

Find half the area of a circle:

A= r 2
2
A = 3.14 x 7 x 7
2

7cm

A1

A2

12cm
Split the shape into two areas.
Area = A1 + A2
Area = LB + r 2.
L = 12

B=7

r = 3.5

A = 12 x 7 + x 3.14 x 3.5 x 3.5

A = 84 + 19.23

A = 76.93cm2

A = 103.2cm 2. (to 1 d.p)

What Goes In The Box ? 4

Find the area of the shapes below :
(1)

(2)
6.3m

7cm
153.86cm2

31.16m2 ( 2 d.p)

(3)
4.2cm
6.7cm

35.1cm 2 ( 1 d.p)