Area Of Shape - Definition with Examples

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Area of Shapes

Geometric shapes are the figures with a set of points connected by lines resulting in a closed figure. 

For example, triangle, square, rectangle and quadrilateral are shapes with 3 and 4 points connected by lines. Shapes with bounded curves don’t have sides but have the circumference.

area of shapes

Mirrors of different shapes with sides and curves.

 

Area

The area of a shape is the “space enclosed within the perimeter or the boundary” of the given shape. We calculate the area for different shapes using math formulas.

In the following pictures, the shaded region denotes the area for the respective shapes.

area of shapes 1
 
 Name & Shape  Properties  Area

circle

Circle
  •  The length between the center “o” to the point on the circumference is the radius “r”

 A = πr2

 π = 3.14 (constant)

triangle

Triangle
  •  One angle is the right angle
  A = 1⁄2 × Base × Height

square

Square
  • All sides are equal
  • Each angle is 90 degree 
  A = Length of Side2

rhombus

Rhombus
  • All sides are equal
  • Opposite sides are parallel
  • Opposite angles are equal
  A = p × q

rectangle

Rectangle
  • Opposite sides are equal and parallel
  • Each angle is 90 degree 
  A = Length × Breadth

parallelogram

Parallelogram
  • Opposite sides are equal and parallel
  • Opposite angles are equal
  A = Base × Height 

The “textured” region represents the area of the shape

 

Unit of measurement

The unit of measurement for the area is always the square of the unit in which lengths are given. The resultant unit is the product of the units of the given lengths.

Let’s take an example, the area of a square with side length 8 cm is:

Area = (Length of side)2

Area = 8 cm × 8 cm

Area = 64 cm2

unit of measurement

 

Application

The application field of area formula is in architecture, land surveying, and map designing. The rescaled version of the area for a given place is useful in designing knowledge tools such as globes and geophysical maps. The area calculation for a two-dimensional shape is the first step to interpret the volume of a three-dimensional object such as cone, cylinder, ball, and cube.

  Fun Facts

  • The Babylonian clay tablets with scribes were used to study math and interpret the concept of area using formula during 1800-1600 BCE

  • Egyptians built great pyramids using the area based properties and ratio between the surface area of sides and base area for a perfectly balanced structure

 

Related math vocabulary

 

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