Idea 1of 22
Area counts the squares inside
How do you measure how much space a flat shape covers?
Today you'll discover
- how to count the space inside a shape
- what one square stands for
- how the squares are written
Think firstA rectangle drawn on a grid of squares
How many grid squares does this rectangle cover?
Decide first, then press Next. Count the squares inside, not the lines.
A rectangle 5 squares long and 3 squares tall on a grid. Tinted squares fill it row by row, 15 in all, and a line under it says the area is 15 square centimetres. A single square in the corner is marked 1 cm². The last step shows a rectangle 6 squares long and 2 tall.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
Area is the number of square units that cover a shape, with no gaps.
Written downA 5 cm by 3 cm rectangle is covered by 15 squares, each 1 cm by 1 cm. Its area is 15 square centimetres, written 15 cm².
Easy to get wrongCount the squares inside, not the grid lines and not the steps around the edge.
Key words
- area
- the amount of space a flat shape covers, counted in square units
- square unit
- a square 1 unit long on each side, like 1 cm by 1 cm, used to count area
Ready to use it?
- Find the area of a shape by counting its squares.