Area and perimeter: Triangles and quadrilaterals
In a nutshell
The perimeter and area are unique properties of every shape. The perimeter and area of triangles and quadrilaterals can be calculated using different formulae.
Perimeter
The perimeter is the distance around the outside of a 2d shape. This is the sum of all the lengths of the outer sides of a given shape.
Example 1
What is the perimeter of the shape below?
Calculate the sum of all the outer sides.
4+3+5+2=14m
Therefore, the perimeter is 14m.
Note: Ensure all the units are the same for each length before adding them together.
Area
The area is the size of a shape's surface. There are different formulae to calculate the areas of different shapes. You will need to learn the following formulae.
SHAPE | FORMULA | ILLUSTRATION |
Triangle | Area=21×base×perpendicularheight A=21bh | b |
Rectangle | Area=length×width A=lw | |
Parallelogram | Area=base×perpendicularheight A=bh | |
Trapezium | Area=21×(a+b)×height,
A=21(a+b)×h | |
Example 2
What is the area of the triangle below?
Identify the formula for the area of a triangle.
Area=21×base×perpendicularheight
Identify the relevant values.
BasePerpendicular height=4cm=4cm
Place the values into the formula.
Area=21×4×4
Area=8cm2
Note: Area is measured in square units.