A parallelogram is defined as a simple quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides. If you need to find the area of a parallelogram, it's easily done with a simple formula.

Steps

  1. 1
    Write down the formula . stands for the area, stands for the length of your parallelogram, and stands for the height of your parallelogram.[1]
  2. 2
    Locate the base of the parallelogram. The base is the length of the bottom side of the parallelogram.[2]
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  3. 3
    Locate the height of the parallelogram. The height is the length that a perpendicular line must travel from the bottom to the top of the parallelogram.[3]
  4. 4
    Multiply the base and the height together.[4]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How did you get the formula?
    Donagan
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    In terms of calculating area, a parallelogram is exactly like a rectangle of the same base and height, so the area formula is the same for both figures.
  • Question
    What is the difference between area and perimeter?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Perimeter is the full length of the outline of a shape. It's the sum of the lengths of all the sides. Area is the amount of space contained within the perimeter.
  • Question
    How do I find the area of quadrilaterals?
    Donagan
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    There are formulas for the area of specific quadrilaterals but none for "quadrilaterals" in general.
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 16 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 144,147 times.
51 votes - 52%
Co-authors: 16
Updated: March 23, 2023
Views: 144,147
Article SummaryX

To find the area of a parallelogram, use the formula area = bh, where b is the length of the parallelogram and h is the height. For example, if you were trying to find the area of a parallelogram that has a length of 10 and a height of 5, you'd multiply 10 by 5 and get 50. Therefore, the area of the parallelogram is 50. To see more examples of how to find the area of a parallelogram, keep reading!

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