Finding Area
Have you ever wondered how much space is inside a shape? That's what area tells us! Learning to find area will help you with everything from covering a floor with tiles to wrapping a present.
What is Area?
Area is the Space Inside a Shape!
Imagine you're painting a rectangle on the wall. The area is how much paint you need to cover the whole inside of the shape. We measure area in square units.
🔲 Understanding Square Units
We measure area using small squares called square units. Each square unit is a square that is 1 unit long and 1 unit wide.
Common square units include:
Square inches - for small things like a sticky note
Square feet - for rooms and floors
Square meters - for bigger spaces
Counting Square Units
The easiest way to find area is to count the squares inside a shape!
Example 1: Small Rectangle
Example 2: Larger Rectangle
Example 3: Square
Try It Yourself: Count the Squares!
Click on squares to select them and count the area. See how many square units fit inside!
Click squares to count them
The Area Formula
Counting every square works, but there's a faster way! We can use multiplication.
The Magic Formula for Rectangles
Just multiply how long it is by how wide it is!
🧮 Why Does This Work?
Think about a rectangle that is 4 units long and 3 units wide.
You could count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 squares
OR
You could multiply: 4 x 3 = 12 square units
Same answer, but much faster!
📐 Using the Formula - Step by Step
Find the area of a rectangle that is 5 feet long and 3 feet wide.
- Write the formula: Area = Length x Width
- Put in the numbers: Area = 5 x 3
- Multiply: Area = 15
- Add the units: Area = 15 square feet
The area is 15 square feet!
Area Calculator
Enter the length and width to calculate the area automatically!
Enter the dimensions:
Area in the Real World
Area is used everywhere! Here are some real-life examples:
Floor Space
How many tiles do you need to cover a floor? That's area!
Picture Frames
How much glass goes in a frame? Find the area!
Garden Beds
How much dirt do you need? Calculate the area!
Painting Walls
How much paint do you need? Use area to find out!
Wrapping Gifts
How much paper to wrap a box? That's area too!
Pizza Size
A bigger area means more pizza to eat!
Real World Problem:
Maria wants to put new carpet in her bedroom. The room is 10 feet long and 8 feet wide. How many square feet of carpet does she need?
Solution: Area = 10 x 8 = 80 square feet
Practice Problems
Now it's your turn! Use what you learned to find the area.
Problem 1
What is the area?
Problem 2
What is the area?
Problem 3
What is the area?
Problem 4
What is the area?
Problem 5
What is the area?
Challenge: Count and Calculate!
Count the squares in this shape, then check your answer!
How many square units?
Check Your Understanding
What does area measure?
What is the formula for the area of a rectangle?
If a rectangle is 3 feet by 4 feet, what unit is the area measured in?
What We Learned
Area
The space inside a shape, measured in square units.
Counting
You can count squares to find area.
Formula
Area = Length x Width is faster than counting!
Real World
Area helps with floors, gardens, painting, and more!
Next Steps
- Practice finding areas of rectangles you see around you
- Measure real objects and calculate their area
- Remember: Area = Length x Width
- When ready, move on to learn about Finding Perimeter!