What area means
Area is how much flat space a shape covers, counted in squares.
Area measures the amount of flat surface a shape covers. Think of how much paint you would need to colour it in, or how many floor tiles would cover a room.
We measure area by counting squares. A square that is along each side has an area of one square centimetre, written .
The rectangle above is 4 squares wide and 3 squares tall, so it covers squares. Its area is .
A few things to remember from the start:
- Area is always given in square units — , , .
- This is different from perimeter, which is the distance all the way around.
- Counting squares works for any shape, but formulae let you find area much faster.
- Area is the flat space a shape covers.
- It is measured by counting unit squares.
- Area uses square units like cm² or m².
- Formulae are a fast shortcut to counting squares.