Calculate the area and perimeter of a parallelogram:

Calculate the area and perimeter of a parallelogram with base (b) = 4´, height (h) = 3´, a = 5´ and b = 4´.  Be sure to include units in your answer.

Solution:

A = bh                       P = 2a + 2b

A = (4)(3)                  P = 2(5) + 2(4)

A = 12 square feet      P = 10 + 8

P = 18 feet

A rectangle is a parallelogram along with four right angles, as display in Figure.

Figure: Rectangle

The area of a rectangle is computed using the subsequent formula:

A = (length)    (width) = lw                                 

The perimeter of a rectangle is calculated using the following formula:

P = 2(length) + 2(width) = 2l + 2w                          

An area of a rectangle is always expressed in square units, and the perimeter of a rectangle is always expressed in the original units.