Convert Square Units of Measurement

In this activity, we are  going to be finding the area of shapes, converting into different units where necessary.

To find the area of a square, we multiply the length x the width.

 A 1 m by 1 m square has an area of 1 m²

If we divide the square into cm, there are 100 cm along each edge.

The area of this square is therefore 1 m x 1 m = 1 m² or 100 cm x 100 cm = 10,000 cm²

A 1 cm by 1 cm square has an area of 1 cm² 

If we divide the square into mm, there are 10 mm along each edge.

The area of this square is therefore 1 cm x 1 cm = 1 cm² or 10 mm  x 10 mm = 100 mm²

Have you got that?

Be very careful if you have to convert between measurements, when finding areas or volumes - make sure that you convert to the correct unit before you do the calculation. If you convert after you've done the calculation, you will probably get the wrong answer!