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.
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: a
2 = 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 cm
2.
"Find the Area" Widget
Here is a widget to help you learn the formulas to find the areas of different shapes.
- Click on the shape you're learning about.
- Click on the pad to start.
- Follow the instructions in the bottom-left corner.
- On the last click, the formula, workings, and answer will appear in the yellow box.
- Good luck!
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.