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AREA OF A POLYGON

Area Of A Polygon

Definition Of Area Of A Polygon

Area of a Polygon is the amount of space or region occupied by that polygon.

More About Area of a Polygon

The area of an irregular polygon can be found by dividing it into different standard polygons.

Area of a square = s2

Area of a rectangle = lb

Area of a triangle =  bh

Area of a parallelogram = bh

Area of a trapezoid =  ()

Examples of Area of a Polygon

example of Area of a Polygon

Area of the figure = Area of rectangle ABCH + Area of rectangle DEFG = AH × AB + DE × EF = (6.5 × 4 + 3.5 × 9) m2 = 57.5 m2.
So, the area of the above irregular polygon is 57.5 m2

Video Examples: Area of Polygons

Solved Example on Area of a Polygon

Ques:

Find the area of the figure.

example of Area of a Polygon

Choices:

A. 14 ft2
B. 11 ft2
C. 12 ft2
D. 10 ft2 
Correct Answer: D

Solution:

Step 1: The figure is divided into a trapezoid and a rectangle.
example of Area of a PolygonStep 2: Area of the figure = Area of trapezoid ABEF + Area of rectangle HCDJ
Step 3: =  × FJ × (AF + BE) + HC × CD
Step 4: =  × 1 × (3 + 5) + 2 × 3 = 10 [Substitute the values.]
Step 5: Therefore, area of the figure is 10 ft2.

Quick Summary

  • Area of a polygon is the measure of the surface it covers.
  • Irregular polygons can be divided into standard polygons to calculate the total area.
  • Formulas exist for calculating the area of regular polygons like squares, rectangles, triangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids.
\[ Area depends on the specific polygon; examples include: \(A_{square} = s^2\), \(A_{rectangle} = lw\), \(A_{triangle} = \frac{1}{2}bh\) \]

🍎 Teacher Insights

Use visual aids and hands-on activities to demonstrate how to divide irregular polygons into regular shapes. Provide plenty of practice problems with varying levels of difficulty. Emphasize the importance of labeling units correctly.

🎓 Prerequisites

  • Basic arithmetic
  • Understanding of geometric shapes (squares, rectangles, triangles, parallelograms, trapezoids)
  • Concept of area

Check Your Knowledge

Q1: What is the area of a rectangle with length 5 cm and width 3 cm?

Q2: A square has a side length of 4 inches. What is its area?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do you find the area of an irregular polygon?
A: Divide the irregular polygon into smaller, regular polygons (e.g., rectangles, triangles). Calculate the area of each regular polygon and then add the areas together.

Q: What is the difference between area and perimeter?
A: Area is the measure of the surface enclosed by a shape, while perimeter is the total length of the sides of the shape.

Q: Why is area measured in square units?
A: Area is measured in square units because it represents the number of squares of a certain size (e.g., 1x1 meter) that are needed to cover the surface.

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