Look at this tiled floor. Every tile is the same size. How many tiles cover the whole floor? Would you count them one by one, or is there a faster way?

Look at each shape on the interactive. We find area by multiplying the sides, not by counting every square. Keep an eye on the unit each time, and see what happens when the shape is an awkward L.

Today we work through this compound shape together: an L made of two rectangles. We'll drag and resize a rectangle to cover each part, read its area, then add the two parts for the total.

Today we work through these area problems together, each one a little harder than the last. First the area of a 7 m × 4 m rectangle. Then an L-shape and a T-shape, splitting each into rectangles and adding. Finally a reverse puzzle: a rectangle has an area of 36 cm² and one side is 9 cm — find the other side. Remember, the rule is still area = length × breadth, so knowing the area and one side lets us work out the other.

Key Takeaways

• The area of a rectangle is length × breadth.
• Split a compound shape into rectangles, find each area, then add.
• If you know the area and one side, divide to find the other side.
• Area is always written in squared units: cm² or m².