Area is space that is occupied within the borders of a shape. It is measured in units squared and is represented by the area shaded red in the shapes below.

The three shapes you should know how to calculate area for are the triangle, rectangle and circle.

Area of a Rectangle or Square

To calculate the area of a square or rectangle, multiply the base of the object by its’ height.

Area of a Triangle

To calculate the area of a triangle, follow the formula below.

Remember that height is not necessarily an edge of the triangle, but the distance from the base to the top of the triangle.

Area of a Circle

To calculate the area of a circle, follow the formula below.

Area of a Parallelogram

There are several other formulas for calculating the areas of different shapes. It is important to note which measurements need to be taken (what is defined as the base and height of each shape).

Area of a Trapezoid

Other Shapes

You may have to calculate the area of shapes other than basic squares, triangles and circles. You can attempt to break shapes into smaller components and use the formulas above. For example:

Calculate the area of the triangle and adding it to the area of the square results in the area of the whole shape.

You can divide the shape on the left into a square and a half circle. Calculate the area of the square and the area of the circle. Divide the area of the circle in half and add the two together.