Area
The area of a flat, closed geometric figure is a number that tells us how many squares of a certain size it will take to completely cover the figure. The formula of the area of a four-sided figure is the following: Area = length x width A = lw The area of a circle is greater than the area of three squares whose sides are equal to the circle's radius squared, and the area of a circle is less than the area of four of those squares. In fact, it takes π amount of those squares to cover the circle's area. This tells us that circles have a relationship with π not only with its circumference, but with its area. The formula of the area of a circle is the following: Area = π x radius² A = πr² The area of a triangle equals one half the product of the base and its altitude, or height (used interchangeably). This height is found as the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite vertex. The formula of the area of a triangle is the following:
Finding the Area of Complex Figures 1. Most complex-looking figures are actually rectangles, circles, and/or triangles put together. Divide the complex figure into those familiar figures and use the formulas that are known, even if the formula might need to be divided. Simply add these calculations together to get the total area. 2. For finding the area of a shaded figure with non-shaded figures inside, find the area of the non-shaded figure(s), then the entire area of the shaded figure, and finally subtract the non-shaded figure's area from the shaded figure's entire area.
