![rectangle area formula rectangle area formula](https://sciencenotes.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Rectangle.png)
Some drawbacks I have seen in the way some math textbooks teach A = L × W: This is what is meant by “Area equals length times width.” The number of unit squares needed to tile a rectangle equals the number of length units that fit along one side multiplied by the number of length units that fit along an adjacent side. This argument is pretty obviously sound for any rectangle whatsoever with whole-number side lengths, so we can say that for any such rectangle: Remembering what × means, the total number of squares must then equal 7 × 5. For example, the 7 strips would turn into 7 groups of 5 squares each. If we draw both sets of lines, then each of the strips gets divided into squares (question: why perfect squares?). We might have done the same thing on either of the two adjacent sides, which would have resulted in the number of strips being 5. There are as many strips in the rectangle as there are length units in the side. If one side of the rectangle consists of 7 length units, then we can draw lines to divide the rectangle equally into 7 strips. In the context of a rectangle with, say, length 7 units and width 5 units, what are the groups, and what are the things? Today let’s confine our analysis of the formula to whole numbers, because I’m thinking about the formula today from the perspective of a young student who hasn’t yet absorbed fractional quantities or fraction operations. For whole numbers, the simple interpretation of m × n is that it stands for the number of things in m groups of n things each. The reason the formula works has to do with what the × symbol means. W is the number of length units when you measure an adjacent side of the rectangle.L is the number of length units when you measure one side of the rectangle.A is the number of unit squares needed to tile the rectangle.Has a student ever asked you why multiplying length by width gives the area of a rectangle? In this blog post, Standards co-author Jason Zimba describes the area formula on a conceptual level and highlights some weaknesses in the ways textbooks introduce the formula.
![rectangle area formula rectangle area formula](https://d138zd1ktt9iqe.cloudfront.net/media/seo_landing_files/the-area-of-a-rectangle-definition-1611303466.png)
The formula states that \(A=l\times w\), so the area of the yard is \(30\text\).Editor’s Note: This blog post originally appeared on Jason Zimba’s personal blog on August 10, 2016. The length of the yard is 30 feet, and the width is 20 feet. This is a scenario where the area formula of a rectangle can be applied. Do you have enough sod to cover the entire yard? Your yard has a length of 25 feet and a width of 30 feet. You want to determine if this is enough grass to cover the entire yard, so you need to compare the area of the sod to the area of your yard. You want to plant grass in your new backyard, and you currently have 645 square feet of sod available. In this case, our answer would be 640 m 2. Area is the result of multiplying two dimensions, length and width, which can be represented as a power of 2. The units associated with surface area will always be units squared. The area of the rectangle can be calculated by multiplying \(l\times w\), or \(32\times20\), which is 6,400. For example, the rectangle below has a length of 32 meters and a width of 20 meters. A represents area, l represents length, and w represents width. When determining the area of a rectangle, the formula \(A=l\times w\) can be applied. Situations such as these will require the use of surface area calculations. Area calculations are made for scenarios such as determining the number of tiles needed to cover the bottom of a swimming pool, the amount of wrapping paper needed to wrap a gift, or the amount of square footage you have in your backyard. Calculating surface area is a skill that can be applied in many real-world situations.