Area of a Parallelogram

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Unit 1 > Lesson 3 of 8

The area of a polygon is the number of square units inside the polygon. Area is 2-dimensional like a carpet or an area rug.
A parallelogram is a 4-sided shape formed by two pairs of parallel lines. Opposite sides are equal in
length and opposite angles are equal in measure. To find the area of a parallelogram, multiply the
base by the height. The formula is:
where

is the base,

is the height, and means multiply.

The base and height of a parallelogram must be perpendicular. However, the lateral sides of a parallelogram are not
perpendicular to the base. Thus, a dotted line is drawn to represent the height. Let's look at some examples involving the
area of a parallelogram.

Example 1: Find the area of a parallelogram with a base of 12 centimeters and a height of 5
centimeters.
Solution:
= (12 cm) (5 cm)
= 60 cm 2
Example 2: Find the area of a parallelogram with a base of 7 inches and a height of 10 inches.
Solution:
= (7 in) (10 in)
= 70 in2

Example 3: The area of a parallelogram is 24 square centimeters and the base is 4 centimeters.
Find the height.
Solution:
24 cm2 = (4 cm)
24 cm2 (4 cm) =
= 6 cm

Summary:

Given the base and height of a parallelogram, we can find the area. Given the area of a
parallelogram and either the base or the height, we can find the missing dimension.
The formula for area of a parallelogram is:
where

is the base,

is the height, and means multiply.

Exercises
Directions: Read each question below. Click once in an ANSWER BOX and type in your answer; then click ENTER. Your
answers should be given as whole numbers greater than zero. After you click ENTER, a message will appear in the
RESULTS BOX to indicate whether your answer is correct or incorrect. To start over, click CLEAR.
1. Find the area of a parallelogram with a base of 8 feet and a height of 3
feet.
CLEAR
ANSWER BOX:
=
ft2 ENTER
RESULTS BOX:

http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol1/area_parallelogram.html

10/15/2012

Area of a Parallelogram

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2. Find the area of a parallelogram with a base of 4 meters and a height

of 9 meters.
CLEAR
ANSWER BOX:
=
m 2 ENTER
RESULTS BOX:
3. The area of a parallelogram is 64 square inches and the height is 16
inches. Find the base.
CLEAR
ANSWER BOX:
=
in ENTER
RESULTS BOX:
4. A parallelogram has an area of 54 square centimeters and a base of 6
centimeters. Find the height.
CLEAR
ANSWER BOX:
=
cm ENTER
RESULTS BOX:
5. A parallelogram-shaped garden has an area of 42 square yards and a
height of 6 yards. Find the base.
CLEAR
ANSWER BOX:
=
yd ENTER
RESULTS BOX:

Perimeter & Area Unit

Perimeter of Polygons
Area of Rectangles
Area of Parallelograms
Area of Triangles
Area of Trapezoids
Practice Exercises
Challenge Exercises
Solutions

Related Activities
Interactive Puzzles
Printable Worksheets
Perimeter and String
Geometry and a Shoebox

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Last Modified 14 Oct 2012

http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol1/area_parallelogram.html

10/15/2012