UNIT 2

PERIMETER AND AREA

2.1 Introduction
Area and perimeter are two important and fundamental parts of mathematics. The unit and topics
of area and perimeter are important to mathematics because they are the physical aspects of
mathematics. They are the foundation for understanding other aspects of geometry such as
volume and mathematical theorems that help us understand algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.
Hence, we will explore some basic geometric shapes and learn how to find their
perimeter and area. The first section will explain the meaning of the term “perimeter”. It will
show how to calculate the perimeter of a polygon, and it will introduce formulae that will help
calculate the perimeter of rectangles and squares.
The second section will explain the meaning of the term “area”. It will introduce
formulae that will help in the calculation of the area of rectangles and squares. The third section
will focus on circles. It will introduce a special term for the “perimeter” of a circle –
circumference – as well as other terms that mathematicians use when they talk about circles,
such as diameter and radius. This section will present formulae for the calculation of the
circumference and area of circles, and it will explain the mathematical term “pi” (represented by
 ).

2.2 Learning Outcomes

At the end of the topic, you will be able to:
 Identify the perimeter of a region.
 Calculate perimeter and solve problems involving perimeter.
 Estimate area of shape.
 Find the area of rectangle
 Find the areas of triangles, parallelograms and trapeziums
 Solve problems involving the area of triangles, rectangles, parallelograms
and trapeziums.

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2.3 Learning Content
2.3.1 Definition of Perimeter

Definition. Perimeter
The perimeter of a shape is the distance around its edges. In general, the
perimeter of a shape is the sum of the lengths of its sides.

Definition. Perimeter of a Polygon

A polygon is closed shape made up of several straight line segments. The
perimeter of a polygon is the sum of the length of all these sides.

The perimeter of a polygon is the distance around the outside of the polygon. A polygon is 2-
dimensional; however, perimeter is one-dimensional and is measured in linear units. To help us
make this distinction, look at our picture of a rectangular backyard.

Picture 1

The yard is two-dimensional: it has a length and a width. The amount of fence needed to enclose
the backyard (perimeter) is one-dimensional. The perimeter of this yard is the distance around
the outside of the yard, indicated by the arrow. It is measured in linear units such as feet or
meter. The polygons at Picture 1 are much smaller than a fenced-yard. Thus, we use smaller
units in our examples, such as centimetres.

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Example 2.1
Find the perimeter of a triangle with sides measuring 5 centimetres, 12 centimetres and 13
centimetres.
P
13 cm
5 cm

Q 12 cm R

Solution:
The perimeter of the triangle is = PQ + PR + QR
= 5 cm + 13 cm + 12 cm
= 30 cm

Definition. Perimeter of a Rectangle

A 4-sided polygon in which opposite sides have the same length and all angles
have the same measurement (90 degrees).

A rectangle is a 4-sided polygon in which opposite sides have the same lengths and all angles
have the same measurement. Since opposite sides have the same length, we only have only to
add the lengths of two adjacent sides and multiply by 2 (so each side is “counted” twice). The
formula for the perimeter of a rectangle is 2   l  w  , where l and w are the length and width of
the rectangle.

Example 2.2
A rectangle has a length of 8 centimetres and a width of 3 centimetres. Find the perimeter.
A 8 cm B

3 cm

3
 C D
Solution 1:
The perimeter is = AB + CD + AC + BD
= 8 cm + 8cm + 3 cm + 3 cm
= 22 cm
Solution 2:
The perimeter is = 2(AB) + 2 (AC)
= 2(8 cm) + 2(3 cm)
= 16 cm + 6 cm
= 22 cm

Note: In Example 2.2, the second solution is more commonly used. In fact, in mathematics, we
commonly use the following formula for perimeter of a rectangle:

Perimeter = 2L + 2W

where L is the length and W is the width.

In the next few examples, we will find the perimeter of other polygons.

Definition. Perimeter of a Square

A 4-sided polygon in which all sides are equal and all angels have the same
measure (90 degrees)

Therefore, to find the perimeter of a square, we have only to multiply one side by 4.

Example 2.3
Find the perimeter of a square with each side measuring 3 cm.
P 3 cm Q

3 cm 3 cm

4
 R 3 cm S
Solution 1: Solution 2:
The perimeter is = PQ + PR + RS + QS The perimeter is = 3 cm x 4
= 3 cm + 3 cm + 3 cm + 3 cm = 12 cm
= 12 cm

Example 2.4
Find the perimeter of an equilateral triangle with each side measuring 4 centimeters.
Q
4 cm

P R

Solution 1: Solution 2:
The perimeter is = PQ + QR + PR The perimeter is = 4 cm x 3
= 4 cm + 4 cm + 4 cm = 12 cm
= 12 cm

A square and an equilateral triangle are both examples of regular polygons. Another method for
finding the perimeter of a regular polygon is to multiply the number of sides by the length of one
side.

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 Practice 2.1

1. The figure below shows the shape of Pak Hassan’s paddy field. Find the perimeter of Pak
Hassan’s paddy field?

Solution:
The perimeter is = ___ m + ____ m + ____ m + ____ cm + ____ cm
= 254 m

2. Encik Ahmad has a pentagon-shape of piece of land with boundaries measuring 80

meters, 250 meters, 70 meters, 110 meters and 170 meters. Whats is the length of barbed
wire needed by Encik Ahmad to fence up his land?

Solution:
The perimeter of the land is = ____ m + _____ m + _____ m + _____ m + _____ m
= ______ m

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Therefore, Encik Ahmad needs _____ m of barbed wire to fence up his land.
3. For an art project at school, you need a piece of string long enough to wrap around the
outer edge of this starfish. What is the shortest possible length for the string?

Solution:
Perimeter = ____ + ____ + ____ + ____ + ____ + ____ + ____ + ____ + _____ + ____
= _____ inches

4. Amir is chosen to represent his school in a long distance race. He run 10 times round the
school field every evening to improve his stamina. The rectangular field is 100 m long
and 60 m wide. What is the distance he running every evening?

Solution:
The distance is = (____+ ____ + ____ + ____) x 10
= 3 200 m
Check your answer = perimeter x 10
= 2 (100 + 60) x 10
= 320 x 10
= 3 200 m

QUICK NOTES:

Perimeter of a Square : P  s  s  s  s  4s

Perimeter of a Rectangular : P  2 w  2l

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2.3.2 Area

The figures above shows carpets used to cover the floor of 3 rooms. All the carpets have the
same pattern.
(a) Which room is the largest? Why?
(b) Which room is the smallest? Why?

You have just used the concept of area to compare the sizes of 3 rooms. The amount of surface
that a two dimensional figure covers is its area. The area of a region can be found by adding up
all the smaller shapes that cover the region completely. These small shapes need not be squares.
They can also be other polygons. However, squares are the most suitable shapes for measuring
areas.

Definition of Area:
The area of a figure measures the sizes of the region enclosed by the figure.
This is usually expressed in terms of some square unit.

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A few examples of the units used are square meters, square centimetres, square inches, or square
kilometres.

Definition : Area of a rectangle

The total number of squares inside the rectangle is equal to the number of
rows times the number of units in each row. Or the length times the width of
the rectangle.
Rectangle :  l  w  where : l  length, w  width

Sometimes, we use breadth as width

Picture 2 : Rectangle
Example 2.5
Find the area of rectangle below.

Solution:
h = 3 and w = 6. So the area is = 3  6  18
In other words, there are 18 squares in the interior of the rectangle.

Definition: Area of a square

The area of square is equal to the length of a side. Or to the length of a side
squared (the term squares is no coincidence).
Square : l 2

l = length of a side

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 Picture 3 : Square
Example 2.6
Find the area of square below.

(a) (b)
Solution: (a) l = 8. So the area is 8 2  64 .

(b) l = 3. So the area is 3 2 9.

Definition: Area of a parallelogram

The area of a parallelogram is b  h where b is the length of the base of the
parallelogram, and h is the corresponding height.

Parallelogram : b  h

b = length of the base h = height

Consider the parallelogram below:

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We can picture “cutting off” a triangle from one side and “pasting” it onto the other side to form
a rectangle with side-lengths b and h. This rectangle has area b  h .

Example 2.7
Find the area of the parallelogram below.

Solution:
From the formula area of parallelogram, we know that; l  h , where l = length and h = height.
So first, we must find the height of the parallelogram, by using the theorem of phytagoras.
h 2  12 2  13 2

h 2  169  144
h 2  25
h5

So, area of the parallelogram is = 5  15  75

Definition: Area of a triangle

The area of a polygon is the number of square units inside that polygon. Area is
2-dimensional like a carpet or an area rug. A triangle is a three-sided polygon.
1
Triangle : b h
2
b = length of base or breadth h = height
The height of a shape is the perpendicular distance from its highest points to its
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base.
We will look at several types of triangles in this lesson.

or

1
Consider a triangle with base length b and height h. So the area of triangle is b h .
2
To picture this, we could take a second triangle identical to the first, then rotate it and “paste” it
to the first triangle as pictured below.

or
The figure formed is a parallelogram with base length b and height h, and has area b  h . This

1
area is twice that of the triangle, so the triangle has area b h .
2

Example 2.8

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Find the area of ABC.

Solution:
1
  base  height
2
1
  14  6
2
 42 cm 2

Example 2.9
What is the area of the triangle that having a base of length 5.2 and a height of 4.2?

Solution:
The area of a triangle is half of the product of its base and height. To make easy to answer this
question, we draw the triangle.

1
So the area =  5.2  4.2  10.92 .
2

Definition: Area of a trapezoid

The lengths of the two parallel bases of a trapezoid a and b, and h is its height,
then the area of trapezoid is:
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1
Trapezoid :  h   a  b
2
For this lesson, let’s try this activity.
First we draw two trapeziums of equal size.

Then join the two trapeziums to form a rectangle. What conclusion can you make from this
activity?

From the above activity, we get

2  area of trapezium  area of rectangle

  a  b h

1
Therefore, area of trapezium   sum of parallel sides  height
2

Example 2.10
Find the area of the given trapezium.

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Solution
1
Area of trapezium is =  6   8  14 
2
1
=  6  22
2
= 66 cm 2

Example 2.11
What is the area of a trapezoid having a bases 12 and 8 and a height if 5?

Solution
Using the formula for the area of trapezoid, we see that the area is

1
Area is =  5  12  8
2
1
=  5  20
2
= 50

Practice 2.2

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1. What is the area of a rectangle having a length of 6 and a width of 2.2?
Solution:
The area is the product of these two side lengths, which is ___ ___  13.2 .

2. What is the area of square having side-length 3.4?

Solution:
The area is the square of the side-length, which is ____ ____  11.56 .

3. What is the area of a parallelogram having a base of 20 and a corresponding height of 7?

Solution:
The area is the product of a base and its corresponding height, which is ____ ____  140.

4. Find the obtuse triangle that having a height of 8 cm and base 5 cm as below.

Solution:
1
Area = × b × h
2
1
=  ____ cm _____ cm
2
1
 _____ cm 
2
=
2 
= 20 cm2

5. The area of a triangular-shaped mat is 18 centimeter square and the base is 3 cm. Find the
height.

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Solution:
In this example, we are given the area of a triangle and one dimension, and we are asked to work
backwards to find the other dimension.
1
Area  b h
2
1
____ cm   b ___ cm 
2
____ cm 2   ____ cm   b
b  12 cm

6. The area of the trapezium PQRS is 135 m 2 . Find its height.

Solution:
From the formula of trapezoid, we get;
1
Area of trapezium is =   ___  ___   height
2
1
___   ___ height
2
___  ___ height

Therefore, height = ____m

7. Find the area of this trapezoid.

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Solution:
1
Area of trapezoid is =  ___  ___  ____   806 .
2
Reference Table for Areas

Area of triangle:

Area of equilateral triangle:

Area of rectangle:

Or
Area = length X width

Area of square:

Area of parallelogram:

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 Area of trapezoid:

Example for Problem Solving

1. Encik Khairul’s house has a garden with the shape as shown. It will cost
him RM 25 to plant grass on each square metre m 2 of his garden. How much does Encik
Khairul have to pay to have grass planted in the whole garden?

Solution:
Step 1: Understand the problem
Cost to plant 1 m 2 of grass = RM 25.
So cost of planting grass in the whole garden?
Step 2: Devise a plan
Split the garden into 3 rectangles. Then add the areas of the 3 rectangles.
Multiply area by RM 25
Step 3: Carry out the plan
Area of garden = Area of rectangle A + Area of rectangle B + Area of
rectangle C
  4  3 m 2  13  3 m 2   5  5 m 2

 12  39  25 m 2

= 76 m 2

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 Therefore, Encik Khairul has to pay : RM 25 X 76 = RM 1900
2. Amir wanted to print a repetitive pattern, as shown; onto a piece of paper
measuring 42 cm by 19 cm. calculate the number of pattern that can be fitted onto the
paper.

Solution:
Step 1: Understand the problem
Measurement of pattern = 28 mm X 38 mm
Measurement of paper = 42 cm X 19 cm
So, what is the number of pattern that can be fitted onto the paper?
Step 2: Devise a plan
Divide the area of paper by the area of pattern
Step 3: Carry out the plan
Area of pattern = 28  38  1064 mm 2
Area of paper = 42 X 19
= 798 cm 2
= 798  1 cm 2
= 798  100 mm 2 



= 79 800 mm 2
Number of pattern = 79800  1064  75

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 Thus, 75 patterns can be fitted onto the paper.

3. Pak Abu owns a piece of land in the shape of a trapezium. He wants to

convert part of his land into a vegetable patch. In another corner of his land, he plans to
have a rectangular fish pond as shown in the diagram. The remaining part of his land will
be used to plant fruit trees. Find the area of the land he can to plant fruit trees.

Solution:
Step 1: Understand the problem
Measurements of a trapezium (original land), a triangle (vegetable patch) and a
rectangle (pond).
So, what is the area of remaining land?
Step 2: Devise a plan
Subtract the areas of the triangle and the rectangle from the area of the trapezium.
Step 3: Carry out the plan
1
Area of trapezium =   40  46  30  1290 m 2
2
1
Area of triangle =  6  30  90 m 2
2
Area of rectangle = 10  8  80 m 2

Therefore, area of remaining land = 1290  90  80  1120 m 2

EXERCISE 2

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1. Find the perimeter of a triangle with sides measuring 10 centimeter, 14 centimeter
and 15 centimeters.

2. A rectangle has a length of 12 centimeters and a width of 4 centimeters. Find the

perimeter.

3. The perimeter of a rectangle is 228 cm.

(c) If its length is 88 cm, what is its breadth?
(d) If its breadth is 70 cm, what is its length?

4. Find the width of a rectangular vegetable garden if its perimeter is 50 m and its length
is 16 m.

5. The perimeter of a square is 24 cm. What is the measure of one side of the square?

6. The perimeter of a rectangle is 30 mm with a length of 7 mm. What is the measure of

its width?

7. Find the perimeter of each figure below.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
8. The perimeter of this isosceles trapezoid is 92. Find the value of x.

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9. The pied piper and his friends are walking around a track that is shaped like a regular
pentagon. Each side measures 85 feet. If they make 3 complete trips around the track,
how far will they have walked?

10. Pak Pandir has a piece of land in the shape of a quadrilateral with sides 65 m, 70 m,
82 m and 93 m. How long is the wire netting needed by Pak Pandir if he wants to
fence up his land?

11. Mr Lim intends to build a rectangular bund surrounding his paddy field which has the
shape of a rectangle 82 m long and 46 m wide. Find the total length of the bund.

12. Every evening Khrisnan runs around his school tennis court which is 23.8 m long and
8.3 m wide. If he runs around the court 6 times, what is the total distance covered by
him?

13. The tables in the class room of a school are in the shape of hexagons with sides 85 cm
each. If two tables are joined as shown, what is the perimeter of the new shape in cm?

14. Find the perimeter of the notice board shown.

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15. Find the area of Calculus book cover which has the length 18.5 cm and breadth 26
cm.
16. The area of a rectangular mural is 12 m 2 and its length is 4 m. Find its breadth.
17. Find the area of triangle that have a base of 14 cm and a height of 6 cm.
18. The area of a rectangle is 35 m 2 . It its width is 8 m, what is measure of its length?
19. The area of equilateral triangle is 21 cm 2 . If its height measures 6 cm, what is the
length of one of its sides?

20. Find the area of trapezoid with a height of 5 and bases of 6 and 3.

21. The area of trapezoid is 104. If its bases are 15 and 11, what is measure of its height?
22. What is the area of parallelogram that having a height of 12 and base of 8?
23. If the area of a rectangle is 24 cm 2 and the length is 6 cm, find it breadth.
24. The area of parallelogram ABCD is 162 cm 2 . Find the length of CD.

25. Find the area of the picture below.

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26. For the picture below, find the area of triangle DFC.

27. Area of small triangle is 736 cm 2 each. Find the area for all the triangles.

28. Find the area for the triangle.

29. A yield sign has the dimensions given in the diagram. How many square inches of
material are needed to make the sign? Round answer to the nearest tenth of a square
inch.

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 30. The school band is selling pennants. Each pennant is cut in the shape of a triangle 4 m
long and 1 m high. How many square cm of fabric are needed to make 200 pennants?
(Assuming no waste)

31. Haniss plans to make a strawberry shortcake to take to a party. The recipe calls for a
10 cm diameter round plan. Haniss only has an 8 cm square pan, a 9 cm square pan
and a 10 cm square pan. Which pan comes closest in area to the one that the recipe
suggests?

32. Irdina is requested to make a rectangle carpet for the dining room. The area for the
dining room is 5 m 2 and the length is 2.5 m. What is the measure of the width for the
carpet that she must make it?

33. Razak wants to plant a carpet grass at his yard. What is the area of his yard?

Answer

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1. 39 cm 18. 4.375 m
2. 32 19. 7 cm
3. (a) 26 cm (b) 44 cm 20. 22
4. 9 cm 21. 8
5. 6 cm 22. 96
6. 8 mm 23.4 cm
7. (a) 21 (b) 22 (c) 28 (d) 27 24. 120 cm 2
8. 20 25. 82 cm 2
9. 1275 feet 26. 16 cm 2
10.310 m 27. 8832 cm 2
11.256 m 28. 61 cm 2
12. 385.2 m 29. 561.2 sq.in
13. 850 cm 30. 400
14. 260 cm 31. 9 cm
15. 481 cm 2 32. 2 m
16. 3 m 33. 38 m 2
17. 42 cm 2
Activity 2
Title: Using Area and Perimeter to Design a Fun House

The Task:
To get ready for this special assignment, you and your partner must be sure that you have the
skills that you, the architects, will need. A solid understanding of area and perimeter is required.
Once you show mastery through graph paper drawings, you will design and draw the floor plan
for a small house. Then you will determine how much carpet you will need in two rooms and
how much fencing you will need to go around your yard to make sure your cat doesn't get away
while you are at school. Your final product will be a floor plan and a drawing of how your house
will look from the front.

The Process:
At home:

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 - Measure the length and width of your bedroom and other room in feet so
that you will know what a normal room size is. The rooms you draw will be
smaller.
In the classroom: With your partner
1. Compare the measurements you gathered at home.
2. Draw a house on 1 cm graph paper. Your house must have at least three rooms and a
perimeter of at least 120 feet.
3. Figure out how many square feet of carpet you will need for 2 rooms. Show those
measurements in the drawing of the room.
4. Draw the fence around the yard. How much fencing will you need? Include the unit.
5. Draw the front view of your house.

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