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Step 1
Base and Height of a ParallelogramIn non-mathematical terms, a parallelogram is a slanted rectangle. The top and bottom sides are congruent (same length), and the left and right sides are also congruent, but are typically not the same length as the top and bottom sides. The top and bottom sides are parallel, as are the left and right sides.
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Step 2
Formula for the Area of a ParallelogramMost students know that the area of a rectangle is length times width. It stands to reason that a parallelogram, being essentially a slanted rectangle, should have the same formula. It does, with a slight modification. To find the area of a parallelogram, we must multiply the base times the height. This is not exactly the same thing as saying length times width.
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Step 3
The base is defined (in simplest terms), as the distance along the top or the equal-length bottom. The height is measured from the top straight down to the bottom. We do NOT measure the height along one of the slanted sides, which is longer than the distance straight down. If you are given the measure of one of the slanted sides, it is probably being done to trick you. You still must obtain, by whatever means, the measure of the distance from the top straight down to the bottom.
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Step 4
That is all there is to it, at least as far as the basics. Sometimes a problem will require that you do some computations to determine the base or the height if it is not provided. This will sometimes require the use of the Pythagorean Theorem or other geometric methods, all of which are outside the scope of this article. Be sure to memorize the formula, practice using it, and be sure that you can distinguish parallelograms from other geometric shapes.
Comments
TheGlamSquad said
on 1/20/2009 EXCELLENT MATHMATICAL TIPS! 5*****
sunshine11219 said
on 1/20/2009 good math tips