When students hear the words "compound shapes", they usually feel uncomfortable. Just before you also ask yourself: "Oh, why this again?", you should be aware that there is no real reason. Describing shapes as compound doesn't really make them so. As it turns out calculating areas and perimeters of compound shapes is in fact relatively straightforward.
You will be introduced to Complex shapes only after you learn various shapes in geometry. The reason these shapes are complex is due to the fact that they are slightly different from those you've come to know. In each complex shape, additional shapes that you need to identify are hidden. Dividing the complex shape into several different (and familiar) shapes will allow you to answer the question of how to calculate the area of complex shapes.
The trick: extract a familiar shape from within the complex shape
So how do we answer the question of how to calculate the area of complex shapes? First, you need to identify familiar shapes within the complex shape. An example of this: a rectangle. As you know, each shape has properties that you are familiar with, so within the complex shape itself, you can apply the properties of the familiar shape and thus calculate areas and perimeters.
After completing the missing data (according to the properties of each shape, for example: rectangle), you can complete the "puzzle", identify additional data that is revealed to you, and thus calculate the area of the complex shape. When calculating the area of complex shapes, you will often need to perform simple arithmetic operations such as division and addition (mainly for sides in the shape) - all based on the unique properties of each shape.
Remember that the formula for the area of a rectangle is width times height
We are given that the width of the rectangle is 6
and that the length of the rectangle is 4
Therefore we calculate:
6*4=24
Answer
24 cm²
Exercise #2
Look at the rectangle ABCD below.
Side AB is 4.5 cm long and side BC is 2 cm long.
What is the area of the rectangle?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
We begin by multiplying side AB by side BC
We then substitute the given data and we obtain the following:
4.5×2=9
Hence the area of rectangle ABCD equals 9
Answer
9 cm²
Exercise #3
Look at rectangle ABCD below.
Side AB is 10 cm long and side BC is 2.5 cm long.
What is the area of the rectangle?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
Let's begin by multiplying side AB by side BC
If we insert the known data into the above equation we should obtain the following:
10×2.5=25
Thus the area of rectangle ABCD equals 25.
Answer
25 cm²
Exercise #4
The triangle ABC is given below. AC = 10 cm
AD = 3 cm
BC = 11.6 cm What is the area of the triangle?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
The triangle we are looking at is the large triangle - ABC
The triangle is formed by three sides AB, BC, and CA.
Now let's remember what we need for the calculation of a triangular area:
(side x the height that descends from the side)/2
Therefore, the first thing we must find is a suitable height and side.
We are given the side AC, but there is no descending height, so it is not useful to us.
The side AB is not given,
And so we are left with the side BC, which is given.
From the side BC descends the height AD (the two form a 90-degree angle).
It can be argued that BC is also a height, but if we delve deeper it seems that CD can be a height in the triangle ADC,
and BD is a height in the triangle ADB (both are the sides of a right triangle, therefore they are the height and the side).
As we do not know if the triangle is isosceles or not, it is also not possible to know if CD=DB, or what their ratio is, and this theory fails.
Let's remember again the formula for triangular area and replace the data we have in the formula:
(side* the height that descends from the side)/2
Now we replace the existing data in this formula:
2CB×AD
211.6×3
234.8=17.4
Answer
17.4
Exercise #5
What is the area of the given triangle?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
This question is a bit confusing. We need start by identifying which parts of the data are relevant to us.
Remember the formula for the area of a triangle:
The height is a straight line that comes out of an angle and forms a right angle with the opposite side.
In the drawing we have a height of 6.
It goes down to the opposite side whose length is 5.
And therefore, these are the data points that we will use.
We replace in the formula:
26×5=230=15
Answer
15
Question 1
What is the area of the triangle in the drawing?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
17.5
Question 2
Given the trapezoid:
What is the area?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
52.5
Question 3
Look at the deltoid in the figure:
What is its area?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
14
Question 4
Look at the deltoid in the figure:
What is its area?
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
15
Question 5
ACBD is a deltoid.
AD = AB
CA = CB
Given in cm:
AB = 6
CD = 10
Calculate the area of the deltoid.
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
30
Exercise #6
What is the area of the triangle in the drawing?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
First, we will identify the data points we need to be able to find the area of the triangle.
the formula for the area of the triangle: height*opposite side / 2
Since it is a right triangle, we know that the straight sides are actually also the heights between each other, that is, the side that measures 5 and the side that measures 7.
We multiply the legs and divide by 2
25×7=235=17.5
Answer
17.5
Exercise #7
Given the trapezoid:
What is the area?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
Formula for the area of a trapezoid:
2(base+base)×altura
We substitute the data into the formula and solve:
29+12×5=221×5=2105=52.5
Answer
52.5
Exercise #8
Look at the deltoid in the figure:
What is its area?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
Let's begin by reminding ourselves of the formula for the area of a kite
2Diagonal1×Diagonal2
Both these values are given to us in the figure thus we can insert them directly into the formula:
(4*7)/2
28/2
14
Answer
14
Exercise #9
Look at the deltoid in the figure:
What is its area?
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
To solve the exercise, we first need to know the formula for calculating the area of a kite:
It's also important to know that a concave kite, like the one in the question, has one of its diagonals outside the shape, but it's still its diagonal.
Let's now substitute the data from the question into the formula:
(6*5)/2= 30/2= 15
Answer
15
Exercise #10
ACBD is a deltoid.
AD = AB
CA = CB
Given in cm:
AB = 6
CD = 10
Calculate the area of the deltoid.
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
To solve the exercise, we first need to remember how to calculate the area of a rhombus:
(diagonal * diagonal) divided by 2
Let's plug in the data we have from the question
10*6=60
60/2=30
And that's the solution!
Answer
30
Question 1
ABDC is a deltoid.
AB = BD
DC = CA
AD = 12 cm
CB = 16 cm
Calculate the area of the deltoid.
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
96 cm²
Question 2
Shown below is the deltoid ABCD.
The diagonal AC is 8 cm long.
The area of the deltoid is 32 cm².
Calculate the diagonal DB.
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
8 cm
Question 3
The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
Base AB = 6 cm
Base DC = 10 cm
Height (h) = 5 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
40 cm²
Question 4
The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
AB = 2.5 cm
DC = 4 cm
Height (h) = 6 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
\( 19\frac{1}{2} \)
Question 5
The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
AB = 5 cm
DC = 9 cm
Height (h) = 7 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
Incorrect
Correct Answer:
49 cm
Exercise #11
ABDC is a deltoid.
AB = BD
DC = CA
AD = 12 cm
CB = 16 cm
Calculate the area of the deltoid.
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
First, let's recall the formula for the area of a rhombus:
(Diagonal 1 * Diagonal 2) divided by 2
Now we will substitute the known data into the formula, giving us the answer:
(12*16)/2 192/2= 96
Answer
96 cm²
Exercise #12
Shown below is the deltoid ABCD.
The diagonal AC is 8 cm long.
The area of the deltoid is 32 cm².
Calculate the diagonal DB.
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
First, we recall the formula for the area of a kite: multiply the lengths of the diagonals by each other and divide the product by 2.
We substitute the known data into the formula:
28⋅DB=32
We reduce the 8 and the 2:
4DB=32
Divide by 4
DB=8
Answer
8 cm
Exercise #13
The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
Base AB = 6 cm
Base DC = 10 cm
Height (h) = 5 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
First, we need to remind ourselves of how to work out the area of a trapezoid:
Now let's substitute the given data into the formula:
(10+6)*5 = 2
Let's start with the upper part of the equation:
16*5 = 80
80/2 = 40
Answer
40 cm²
Exercise #14
The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
AB = 2.5 cm
DC = 4 cm
Height (h) = 6 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
First, let's remind ourselves of the formula for the area of a trapezoid:
A=2(Base+ Base) h
We substitute the given values into the formula:
(2.5+4)*6 = 6.5*6= 39/2 = 19.5
Answer
1921
Exercise #15
The trapezoid ABCD is shown below.
AB = 5 cm
DC = 9 cm
Height (h) = 7 cm
Calculate the area of the trapezoid.
Video Solution
Step-by-Step Solution
The formula for the area of a trapezoid is:
Area=21×(Base1+Base2)×Height
We are given the following dimensions:
Base AB=5 cm
Base DC=9 cm
Height h=7 cm
Substituting these values into the formula, we have: