How to Find the Area of a Shape

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Measure the width and height.

   You'll need to start by finding the width and height of the shape (in other words, by finding the measure of two adjoining sides).
   
   For a parallelogram, you'll need to use what are called the base and vertical height, but these are the same idea as width and height.
   
   In the real world, you'll have to measure for yourself but for your homework your teacher should have these measurements listed with the shape.
2. 2

   Step 2: Multiply the sides.

   Multiply the sides by each other.
   
   For example, if you have a rectangle with a height of 16 in and a width of 42 in, you'll need to multiply 16 x
   42.
   
   If you're calculating the area of a square you can actually save yourself some time when using a calculator and just square the side.
   
   So, if the side is 4 ft, click 4 and then the square button on your calculator to get the answer.
   
   Squaring automatically multiples the number by itself. , The resulting number from the multiplication is the area of your shape, which is written as "square units".
   
   So the area for our rectangle would be 672 square inches.
   
   This is also sometimes referred to as inches square or written with a small 2 above the text line instead of the word "square".
3. 3

   Step 3: Get your result.

Detailed Guide

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