These are two measures we will often come across and students will confuse at times. The measure of perimeter is an easier concept for students to grasp. By the time they are learning this measure they have seen either a police or military show or movie where a commander of the scene tells his subordinates to set a perimeter. Meaning for the team to surround the target in question. The same is true with the measure of perimeter it is a measure of distance all the way around an object or shape. We will often it is the sum of the length of all sides of an object, but that only applies to regular shapes. Perimeter is a simple measure to make on all objects. Area is the amount of two-dimensional space taking up by a shape. Area is much more difficult to measure it entirely depends on the type of shape you are working. For example, we measure area of squares and rectangles differently. Area of a square is the length of one side squared, whereas the area rectangle is the product of height and width. To seal this concept, think of a local soccer field that is fenced in. The perimeter is clearly the length of the fence all the way around the field. The area is all the distance left to right and up and down of the field.
Students will spend a good deal of time on learning to determine the area and perimeter of various geometric shapes using the information provided about their lengths, angles, etc. (correct formulas have been provided). In this section we will look at two very important concepts and measures in the world of architecture and engineering. Perimeter is usually defined as the length around a shape. A common everyday measure of our perimeter is our waist. According to Lee Jeans, the average 10 year old boy has 27 inch waist. This means the distance around the average boys' waist is 27 inches or just over 2 ruler sizes. Area is a bit different than perimeter. While perimeter focuses on the outside of a shape, area focuses on what's on the inside of that shape. Since not all shapes are constant, there are different methods for measuring and calculating area of different shapes. The most common measures of area are for squares, rectangles, and triangles. This worksheet section will focus on these shapes. These worksheets and activities will help your students to learn how to understand and determine the height, length, circumference, perimeter, and/or area of various shapes using specific formulas and methods.
