lesson
Count the covered surface
1 · Learn
Area measures how much flat surface a shape covers. A square centimetre is a square with each side one centimetre.
Count each covered square once. A rectangle covering four rows of six unit squares has area 24 square units. Area and perimeter are different: one measures surface, the other boundary length.
2 · Worked example
An L-shape covers 5 squares in its top row and 2 in each of its next three rows. Its area is 5 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 11 square units.
3 · Your turn
A shape covers 4 full squares in each of three rows. What is its area? Is the unit cm or square cm if every square is 1 cm by 1 cm?
Check your answer
12 square cm. Use square centimetres for area, not centimetres.
4 · Apply your learning
Draw two shapes with the same area on squared paper. Compare their perimeters; they need not match.
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