Area of a Composite Figure

Composite Figure
A composite figure is a geometric figure which is formed
by—or composed of—two or more basic geometric
figures.

Area
Area is the space occupied by a flat shape or the surface of an object

Steps To find the area of a composite figure:

1. Separate the composite figure into smaller, familiar figures.
2. Find the area of each simpler figure
3. Add or subtract the areas of each figure together to find the total area of the
composite figure.

EXAMPLES:

Separate the figure into its individual shapes.

Area of the triangle: Area of the rectangle
A = ½ bh A = lw
A = ½ x 8 x 12 A = 14 x 12
A = 48 cm 2 A = 168 cm 2

Total area = Area of the rectangle + Area of the triangle

A = 168 + 48
A = 216 cm 2
So, the area of the composite figure is 216 cm2.

Separate the figure into its individual shapes.

A = bh A = ½ (b1 + b2) h
A = 10 x 1.5 A = ½ x (7 + 10) x 1.5
A = 15 cm 2 A = 12.75 cm 2

The area of the parallelogram is 15 cm2 The area of the trapezoid is 12.75 cm2.

A = 15 + 12.75
A = 27.75 cm 2
The area of the composite figure is 27.75 cm2.
 Separate the figure into its individual shapes.

Find the area of the triangle

The formula for the area of a triangle is A = ½ bh.

The base measurement is missing.
Find it, using Pythagorean Theorem.
The legs are the base (?) and height (27 in).
The hypotenuse is 45 in

a2 + b2 = c2 A = ½ bh
272 + b2 = 452 A = ½ x 36 x 27
729 + b2 = 2025 A = 486 in 2
b2 = 1296 The area of the triangle is 486 in2.
b = 36

Find the area of the rectangle

A = lw
A = 27 x 19
A = 513 in 2
The area of the rectangle is 513 in2.
Find the area of the rhombus

The formula for area of a rhombus is A = d1 x d2/2

One of the diagonals is 44 in + 44 in = 88 in
The other diagonal is missing.
Find it, using Pythagorean Theorem.

Use the right triangle inside the rhombus.

The legs are (?) and (44 in). The hypotenuse is 55 in.

a2 + b2 = c2 Area of the rhombus

442 + b2 = 552 A = d1 x d2/ 2
1936 + b2 = 3025 A = 88 x 66/2
b2 = 1089 A = 2904 in 2
b = 33 The area of the rhombus is 2904 in2.

Add the area together

Total Area = Area of the rectangle + Area of the Triangle + Area of the Rhombus
A = 513 + 486 + 2904
A = 3903 in 2
The area of the composite figure is 3903 in2.