This article is about the

Common symbols
Common symbols
A
SI uThis article is about the
Common symbnit Square metrThis article is about the
Common symbe [m
SI unit Square metre [m2]
In SI base units 1 m2
Dimension {\displaystyle {\mathsf {L}}^{2}}{\displaystyle {\mathsf {L}}^{2}}
Three shapes on a square grid
The combined area of these three shapes is approximately 15.57 squares.
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional figure or shape
or planar lamina, in the plane. Surface area is its analog on the two-dimensional
surface of a three-dimensional object. Area can be understood as the amount of
material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the
shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat.[1]
It is the two-dimensional analog of the length of a curve (a one-dimensional
concept) or the volume of a solid (a three-dimensional concept).

The area of a shape can be measured by comparing the shape to squares of a fixed
size.[2] In the International System of Units (SI), the standard unit of area is
the square metre (written as m2), which is the area of a square whose sides are one
metre long.[3] A shape with an area of three square metres would have the same area
as three such squares. In mathematics, the unit square is defined to have area one,
and the area of any other shape or surface is a dimensionless real number.

There are several well-known formulas for
triangles, rectangles, and circles. Using
can be found by dividing the polygon into
boundary, calculus is usually required to
determining the area of plane figures was
development of calculus.[5]
the areas of simple shapes such as
these formulas, the area of any polygon
triangles.[4] For shapes with curved
compute the area. Indeed, the problem of
a major motivation for the historical

For a solid shape such as a sphere, cone, or cylinder, the area of its boundary
surface is called the surface area.[1][6][7] Formulas for the surface areas of
simple shapes were computed by the ancient Greeks, but computing the surface area
of a more complicated shape usually requires multivariable calculus.

Area plays an important role in modern mathematics. In addition to its obvious

importance in geometry and calculus, area is related to the definition of
determinants in linear algebra, and is a basic property of surfaces in differential
geometry.[8] In analysis, the area of a subset of the plane is defined using
Lebesgue measure,[9] though not every subset is measurable.[10] In general, area in
higher mathematics is seen as a special case of volume for two-dimensional regions.
[1]

Area can be defined through the use of axioms, defining it as a function of a

collection of certain plane figures to the set of real numbers. It can be proved
that such a function exists.

An approach to defining what is meant by "area" is through axioms. "Area" can be

defined as a function from a collection M of special kind of plane figures (termed
measurable sets) to the set of real numbers, which satisfies the following
properties:

For all S in M, a(S) ≥ 0.

If S and T are in M then so are S ∪ T and S ∩ T, and also a(S∪T) = a(S) + a(T) −
a(S∩T).
If S and T are in M with S ⊆ T then T − S is in M and a(T−S) = a(T) − a(S).
If a set S is in M and S is congruent to T then T is also in M and a(S) = a(T).
Every rectangle R is in M. If the rectangle has length h and breadth k then a(R) =
hk.
Let Q be a set enclosed between two step regions S and T. A step region is formed
from a finite union of adjacent rectangles resting on a common base, i.e. S ⊆ Q ⊆
T. If there is a unique number c such that a(S) ≤ c ≤ a(T) for all such step
regions S and T, then a(Q) = c.
It can be proved that such an area function actually exists.[11]

Non-metric units
In non-metric units, the conversion between two square units is the square of the
conversion between the corresponding length units.

1 foot = 12 inches,
the relationship between square feet and square inches is

1 square foot = 144 square inches,

where 144 = 122 = 12 × 12. Similarly:

1 square yard = 9 square feet

1 square mile = 3,097,600 square yards = 27,878,400 square feet
In addition, conversion factors include:

1 square inch = 6.4516 square centimetres

1 square foot = 0.09290304 square metres
1 square yard = 0.83612736 square metres
1 square mile = 2.589988110336 square kilometres