Lesson 2: Area - Parallelogram Examples

The formula for the area of a parallelogram is written as:

\(\text{Area}_{\text{parallelogram}}=\text{base}\times \text{height}\)

The shorter form of the formula is:

\(\text{A}_{\text{parallelogram}}=bh\)

When using a formula to calculate area, follow these basic steps:

  1. State the formula being used to solve the problem.
  2. Substitute known values for the variables.
  3. Solve for the unknown (remember to include proper squared units in your answer).

Remember that with all area calculations, all dimensions must be in the same unit of measure prior to substituting their values into the formula.

   Multimedia

A video demonstrating the solution to calculating the area of a parallelogram is provided.



EXAMPLE 1

Determine the area of the parallelogram shown.

Solution


\(\begin{align} \text{A}_\text{parallelogram}&=bh \\ \\ &=30\,\text{cm}\times 15\,\text{cm} \\ \\ &=450\,\text{cm}^2 \\ \end{align}\)

The parallelogram has an area of 450 cm2.


Now, it is your turn! Complete the questions in your Chapter 7, Lesson 2 Practice Makes Perfect that refer to Area of Parallelograms.



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