The image above represents a parallelogram.
To compute the area of a parallelogram requires two essential parameters which are the base and height of the parallelogram.
The formula for computing the area of a parallelogram is:
A = b x h
Where:
A = Area of a parallelogram
b = base of the parallelogram
h = height of the parallelogram
Let’s solve an example
Find the area of a parallelogram with a base of 12 cm and a height of 4 cm.
This implies that:
b = base of the parallelogram = 12
h = height of the parallelogram = 4
A = b x h
A = 12 x 4
A = 48
Therefore, the area of the parallelogram is 48 cm2.
Calculating the base of a parallelogram when Area and Height is Given
The formula is b = A / h
Where;
A = Area of a parallelogram
b = base of the parallelogram
h = height of the parallelogram
Let’s solve an example:
Find the base of a parallelogram with an area of 40 cm² and a height of 8 cm
This implies that;
A = Area of the parallelogram = 40 cm²
h = height of the parallelogram = 8 cm
b = A / h
b = 40 / 8
b = 5
Therefore, the base of the parallelogram is 5 cm.
Calculating the height of a parallelogram when Area and Base is Given
The formula is h = A / b
Where;
A = Area of a parallelogram
b = base of the parallelogram
h = height of the parallelogram
Let’s solve an example:
Find the height of a parallelogram with an area of 60 cm² and a base of 6 cm
This implies that;
A = Area of the parallelogram = 60 cm²
b = base of the parallelogram = 6 cm
h = A / b
h = 60 / 6
h = 10
Therefore, the height of the parallelogram is 10 cm.