Math 101: What is a Perimeter? What is an Area?

You may have heard these terms in your pre-algebra or geometry classes, but let’s do a quick review.

A perimeter measures the distance or length around a shape.  Think of a flat surface, the shape is two-dimensional, meaning it has both a length and width.   Here are some real life examples:

Building a fence around your backyard.  You’ll need to measure how long and how wide it has to be.

Width x length

If your trainer or coach wants to punish you by making you run a lap around the track, that’s 400 meters.  It’s also an Olympic event.

Track

You may recognize these formulas for a couple common shapes:

Rectangle

Width x length rectangle

Square

Width x length Square

The area is how much space the inside of the shape takes up.  Examples include:

If you’re painting a mural, it’s determining how much of the wall you’re going to paint.

Painting

If you have to mow a whole football field, it’s figuring out how big that field is.

Football Field

Here’s a couple formulas for area:

Rectangle 

Width x length Rectangle

Square

Width x length Square

These aren’t the only formulas for perimeter and area; there are shapes like circles and triangles and trapezoids oh my! 

If you made it to the end of this blog, congrats! Let us know if there are other math topics you’d like us to cover. We are here to help you succeed. 



Gary D. Marketing Director by day, math teacher to a 17 year old by night.  
Loves air conditioning. Hates carbs.
Keeps receipts.

2 Comments

  1. I would like to know How to solve math problems n conversion, algebra, how to solve the area of all shapes, those block shapes/ how many, time and there’s more but , i can’t think of the others i would like to know how to solveby n o t running out of time when i go in for the Official Math test

  2. Hi Lisa im wayne imma make this clear simple & easy without u burning most of ur thought energy being frustrated. Ok lets use ur Room but replace it with “X” which equal (area) ok its this simple lisa”ur (room) we replace it with the letter “X” so we will come up with the area where ur room sits before walls was put up around it ok . this how u would line it up

    Room) X equal area. So the ( X) ur room .. They asking you as if me & u talking so imma ask you whats the perimada around the area of your room….

    So X equal area times the perimea

    Ok. Room (X) whats the.. p times X times A.@@@@ ALL THEY SAYING IS BASIC TIMETABLES.. PERIMEA ( P) THIS DISTANCE AROUND ur room which we replace with (X) SO THEY WILL SAY IT LIKE THIS….. WHAT IS THE (P)ERIMEA OF THE (A)REA WHERE LISA (X)OOM SETS WHY THEY USE A X FOR ROOM ? THEY WANT YOU TO USE YOUR MIND TO ITS LIMIT KIND OF TO CONFUSE U BUT HOW CAN THEY ALL WE DOING IS PLUGGING THE VEIRABLES IN …THE P TIME THE A TIMES THE X NUMBERS WILL BE USE BUT IM SURE U KNOW 1+1 =2

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