Area facts for kids
Area is a way to measure how much flat space a two-dimensional (flat) surface covers. Imagine you're painting a wall; the area tells you how much paint you'll need to cover it completely. It's like counting how many square tiles would fit perfectly on a surface.
Knowing the area is useful for many things. For example, it helps you figure out how much material is needed to make something flat, like the amount of wood for the side of a wardrobe.
Contents
Finding Area of Different Shapes
You can use different formulas to find the area of different shapes.
Rectangles and Squares
To find the area of a rectangle or a square, you simply multiply its length by its width.
- Formula: Area = length × width
For example, if a table is 2 meters long and 1 meter wide, its area is 2 meters × 1 meter = 2 square meters.
Triangles
Finding the area of a triangle is a bit different. You multiply half of its base by its perpendicular height. The perpendicular height is the straight up-and-down measurement from the base to the highest point.
- Formula: Area = 1/2 × base × height
Circles
To find the area of a circle, you use a special number called pi (written as π). Pi is about 3.14159. You multiply pi by the radius of the circle, squared. The radius is the distance from the center of the circle to its edge.
- Formula: Area = π × radius² (or
)
Area and 3D Objects
The area of a flat object is related to the surface area and volume of a three-dimensional object.
- Surface area is the total area of all the flat surfaces of a 3D object. Imagine unwrapping a gift box; the surface area is the total area of the paper you used.
- Volume is the amount of space a 3D object takes up.
Measuring Area
Area is measured in "square" units. This means you are counting how many squares of a certain size would fit on the surface. Common units used to measure area include:
- Square metre (m²)
- Square kilometre (km²)
- Square mile (mi²)
- Square centimetre (cm²)
For very complex shapes or areas under a curve, mathematicians use advanced tools from calculus, like integration, to find the exact area.
Images for kids
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Although there are 10 mm in 1 cm, there are 100 mm2 in 1 cm2.
See also
In Spanish: Área para niños
