# How to Calculate the Area of a Parallelogram Part 2

In the previous post, we have learned why the area of a parallelogram is the product of its base and height. In this post, we are going to discuss a few problems involving base, height, and area of parallelograms.

Example 1

Find the area of a parallelogram whose base is 12 cm and whose height is 18 cm.

Solution

Area = base × height

Area = 12 cm × 18 cm

Area = 216 sq. cm.

Be Careful! Note that when we talk about area, we are talking about square units. You must be careful with this because the choices in the exam can have both 216 cm and 216 sq. com.

Example 2

Find the height of a parallelogram  whose area is 30 cm and whose base is 8 cm.

Solution

If we let area be $A$, base be $b$ and height be $h$, then

$A = b \times h$

$30 = 8 \times h$

Since we are looking for $h$, we want leave it on the right hand side. Therefore, we divide both sides of the equation by 8 cm.

$\displaystyle \frac{30}{8} = \frac{8 \times h}{8}$

So, $h = \frac{30}{8}$

Therefore, $h = 3.75$ cm.

Example 3

Solution

What is the height of a parallelogram with area 8.5 m and base 4 m?

$A = b \times h$

$8.5 = b \times 4$

Since we are looking for $b$ in the equation, we divide both sides by 4.

Therefore,

$b = 2.125$