Area of Compound Shapes

Mathematics – VI

About Lesson

Area of Compound Shapes

how-to-work-out-the-area-and-perimeter-of-a-compound-shape

Remember the area is the space inside. We know that to work out a rectangle by multiplying the length by the width.

So when it comes to compound shapes, if we split the shape up into rectangles, then it will become a lot easier to find the area of the total shape.

What Are the Steps I Should Follow to Find the Area of a Compound Shape?

Split your compound shape into a series of rectangles. It is better to actually draw these lines on so you can see exactly what you need to work out.
Work out the missing lengths you need around the edge.
Work out the area of each separate rectangle. (Remember that this is done by multiplying the length by the width.)
Add these separate areas for each rectangle up together to find the total area of the compound shape.

Example

how-to-work-out-the-area-and-perimeter-of-a-compound-shape

Example Shows Some Techniques to Work out the Area of a Compound Shape

The first and second way is to split the compound shape into two rectangles. It is done differently with both examples, but the basic maths is the same. You work out the area of each rectangle and then add them together.

Exercise Files

Compound Shapes (C).pdf

Size: 8.46 KB

Compound Shapes (D).pdf

Size: 8.45 KB

Area and Perimeter of Composite Shapes.pdf

Size: 584.82 KB