Year 8 Interactive Maths - Second Edition

Area of Other Figures

Area of a Parallelogram

A parallelogram is a quadrilateral that has two pairs of parallel sides of equal length.

Consider the area of the following parallelogram.

To calculate the area of a parallelogram divide it into two parts that can form a rectangle.  This is possible if we cut off one end of the parallelogram (i.e. triangle AFD) and add it to the other end to form the rectangle FGCD, as shown below.

It is clear from the diagram that the area of the shape has not changed.

Example 3

Find the area of the following parallelogram.

Solution:

So, the area of the parallelogram is 288 cm².

Remember:

• A parallelogram is a quadrilateral that has two pairs of parallel sides of equal length.
• The area of the parallelogram is given by the following formula where b is the length of the base of the parallelogram and h is its perpendicular height.