The Lesson

The area of a square is found using the formula:

In this formula, a is the length of each side of the square. The image below shows we mean by the length of the side:

How to Find the Area of a Square

Finding the area of a square is easy.

Question

What is the area of a square with sides of length 6 cm, as shown below?

Step-by-Step:

1

Start with the formula:
Area = a2
Don't forget: a2 = a × a (a squared).

2

Substitute the side length into the formula. In our example, a = 6.
Area = 62 = 6 × 6 = 36 cm2

Answer:

The area of the square with sides of length 6 cm is 36 cm2.

"Find the Area" Widget

Here is a widget to help you learn the formulas to find the areas of different shapes.

Lesson Slides

The slider below shows another real example of how to find the area of a square.

What Is a Square?

A square is a flat shape which with four equal straight sides and four right angles.

Square Numbers

A square number is a number multiplied by itself.

12 = 1 × 1 = 1

22 = 2 × 2 = 4

32 = 3 × 3 = 9

The squares go 1, 4, 9... A square with side length 1 has an area of 1.

A square with side length 2 has an area of 4.

A square with side length 3 has an area of 9.

The areas go 1, 4, 9... The square of a number and the area of a square with side lengths of that number are the same.