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Lesson · Grade 5 · Mathematics

Area of a Rectangle: Count the Squares, Then Multiply

  • Grade 5
  • Mathematics
  • 1 min 18 s
  • British Columbia
  • BC5-MA-26

A 6 cm by 4 cm rectangle is covered with 1 cm squares, and counting them gives an area of 24 square centimetres. The squares make 4 rows of 6, so multiplying length by width (6 × 4 = 24) gives the same area faster, and square metres are shown as the unit often used for bigger areas.

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In one sentence

The question this lesson answers

How much flat space does this rectangle cover?

The flat space a shape covers is called its area.

Transcript

What the lesson says

How much flat space does this rectangle cover?

The flat space a shape covers is called its area.

This rectangle is 6 centimetres long and 4 centimetres wide.

We measure it with squares that are 1 centimetre on each side.

Each square has an area of 1 square centimetre.

Cover the rectangle with these squares, and count them.

There are 24 squares, so the area is 24 square centimetres.

Look again: there are 4 rows, with 6 squares in each row.

So multiply: 6 times 4 is 24, the same as counting.

For any rectangle, the area is its length times its width.

For our rectangle, 6 times 4 is 24 square centimetres.

Bigger areas are often measured in square metres.

One square metre is a square that is 1 metre on each side.

Remember: to find the area, count the squares, or multiply the length by the width.

Curriculum

Where this fits

British Columbia, Grade 5

Mathematics, Geometry and measurement: area measurement of squares and rectanglesBC5-MA-26

Next: Area and Perimeter: What Is the Difference?

The outcomes and strands follow the British Columbia curriculum.

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