Measurement
Calculating perimeter, area and volume February 2025
Formulae:
Note: All formulae for calculations involving perimeter, area, surface area and volume
will be provided in assessments. Note that in all formulae you are expected to work
with the approximate value of pi (π) = 3,142.
Perimeter and circumference
The perimeter of a shape is the total distance around the boundary of the
given shape.
Circumference is the perimeter of a circle.
The units of perimeter are the units of length: mm, cm; m; km
Perimeter of plane shapes
Calculating perimeter
1. Perimeter of a Square
Sum of all sides
P = AB + BC + CD + DA
= 6 cm + 6cm + 6 cm + 6 cm
= 24 cm
P = 4s = 4 x 6 cm Using formula
= 24 cm
2. Perimeter of a Rectangle
Sum of sides
Perimeter = PQ + QR + RS + SP
= 7 cm + 9 cm + 7 cm + 9 cm
= 32 cm
Using formula
OR P = 2(L + B)
= 2(9 cm + 7 cm)
= 2(16 cm)
= 32 cm
3. Perimeter of a Circle
Can only be found using a formula
C = 2πr (π = 3,14)
= 2 x 3,14 x 3,5 cm
= 21,98 cm
4. Perimeter of a triangle
P = AB +BC +AC Sum of all sides
= 6cm +4cm +5cm
= 15cm
Area
• Area is the amount of space that a 2- dimensional shape occupies.
• The units of area are:
➢ mm2
➢ cm2
➢ m2
Area of plane shapes
Calculating area
Calculate the area of the shapes below; make all units the same where necessary.
NB…Always
make all units
the same
before
starting a
problem!
1. Area of a rectangle = L x B
= 2,4 m x 1,3 m
= 3,12 m2
2. Area of a square = S2
= (3,12 cm)2
= 9,73 cm2
3. Area of as triangle = 0,5 x b x h
Convert to the same units
= 0,5 x (150 ÷ 10 cm) x 23 cm
= 173 cm2
4. Area of a circle = πr2
= 3,14 x (10cm)2
= 314 cm2
Surface area
• Surface Area refers to the total area of all of the surfaces of a three-
dimensional object.
• The units of surface area are the same as area:
➢ mm2
➢ cm2
➢ m2
So, to Calculate the total surface area you simply need to figure out which figures
were used to construct the 3D figure.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW THE FORMULA OFF BY HEART, but you do need
to know how to use it when facing a problem.
Calculating surface area
Calculate the surface area of the following containers (not drawn to scale)
Figure 1
SA = 2(Length x width) + 2(width x height) + 2(height x Length)
= 2(10mm x 5mm) + 2(5mm x 20mm) + 2 (20mm x 10mm)
= 700 mm2
Figure 2
Important: always use 𝝅 = 3,142
SA = 2𝜋𝑟 2 + 2𝜋𝑟 × ℎ
= 2 x 3,142 x (0,2𝑚)2 + 2 x 3,142 x 0,2m x 0,5m
= 2411,99 m2
Figure 3
This figure consists of two similar triangles, a “base” that is a rectangle and two sides
that are similar rectangles.
The Surface area can be found by adding the area of all the sides:
1
SA = 2 (2 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 × ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡) + (𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ × 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ) + 2 (𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ × 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ)
1
=2 (2 4𝑐𝑚 × 3𝑐𝑚) + (8𝑐𝑚 × 4𝑐𝑚) + 2 (8𝑐𝑚 × 3,5𝑐𝑚)
= 12 cm2 +32 cm2 +56 cm2
=100
Can you find the same answer by using a different method? That is OK!
Remember – if a specific formula is needs to be used it will be given to you.
Alternatively, use your logical thinking.
Volume/Capacity
Volume refers to:
• the amount of space inside a hollow 3-dimensional object (or the amount that
can fit inside a 3-dimensional hollow object);
• the amount of space that a solid 3- dimensional object takes up.
Capacity refers to the amount of fluids in a container and is measured in milliliters
and liters in the metric system.
Volume is always displayed in cubic units
➢ mm3
➢ cm3
➢ m3
Note: volume values are most commonly calculated in cubic units such as mm3, cm3
or m3, but volume values are more commonly measured in liquid measures of
millilitres or litres. As such, a method for converting from cubic units to liquid
measures is also required for volume.
The information below shows some common conversion ratios for volume:
• 1 m3 can hold 1 000 ℓ (i.e. a square hole with dimensions 1 m × 1 m × 1 m
will hold 1 000 ℓ of water.)
• 1 cm3 = 1 mℓ (i.e. a square hole with dimensions 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm will hold
1 mℓ of water.)
The following formula are regularly used when calculating volume:
Alternatively, you can use the method: volume = area of the base x height
Calculating volume
Calculate the volume of the following figures:
Figure 1
Vol = Length x width x height
= 20mm x 10mm x 5mm
= 1000 mm3
Figure 2
Vol = 𝜋𝑟 2 x h
= 3,142 x (0,2m)2 x 0,5m
= 0,06284
≈ 0,06m3
Figure 3
1
Vol = 2 × 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 × 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 × ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒
1
=2 × 𝑏 × ℎ × 𝐻
1
= × 4𝑐𝑚 × 3𝑐𝑚 × 8 𝑐𝑚
2
= 48 cm3
