measurement · Year 5 · AC9M5M02
Area of a rectangle
The area is the amount of surface a shape covers, measured in square units. A rectangle can be split into rows of unit squares, so the area is the number of rows times the number in each row — length × width. A 6 cm by 4 cm rectangle holds 6 × 4 = 24 square centimetres. Adding the sides gives only 10, and going around the edge gives the perimeter; area always needs a multiplication and covers the whole inside.
Sample questions
A rectangle is 6 cm long and 5 cm wide. What is its area (in square cm)?
- Area fills the rectangle with unit squares: 6 rows of 5.
- A = 6 × 5 = 30 square cm.
Answer: 30
A rectangle is 4 cm long and 3 cm wide. What is its area (in square cm)?
- Area fills the rectangle with unit squares: 4 rows of 3.
- A = 4 × 3 = 12 square cm.
Answer: 12
A rectangle is 6 cm long and 4 cm wide. What is its area (in square cm)?
- Area fills the rectangle with unit squares: 6 rows of 4.
- A = 6 × 4 = 24 square cm.
Answer: 24