Use the area of a parallelogram formula to calculate unknown measurements
I can use the area of a parallelogram formula to calculate unknown measurements.
Use the area of a parallelogram formula to calculate unknown measurements
I can use the area of a parallelogram formula to calculate unknown measurements.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The area of a parallelogram is equal to its base multiplied by its perpendicular height.
- If the area of a parallelogram is known, division can be used to determine a missing base or perpendicular height.
Keywords
Parallelogram - A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel and equal sides.
Base - The base is the side which is perpendicular to the shape’s height.
Perpendicular - Two lines are perpendicular if they meet at a right angle.
Common misconception
Pupils highly familiar with finding the area of a rectangle by multiplying its side lengths might overgeneralise and multiply the base by a side length rather than by the perpendicular height.
Some 'red herring' examples are given in the Practice questions where the side length is given unnecessarily. You may wish to make an extra teaching point of how this is superfluous. Remind pupils of the formula, which does not include side lengths.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
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