Tiling a rectangle
A slate is a writing board. This one has length 7 cm and breadth 6 cm. Draw 1 cm squares across all of the slate.
Step 1 of 4
- A slate with length 7 cm and breadth 6 cm.
- Rule it into 1 cm squares.
- 6 rows, 7 squares in each row.
- 6 × 7 = 42 unit squares.
The rule
Cover a rectangle with unit squares, as tiles cover a floor. Here a unit square is 1 cm by 1 cm. The squares line up in rows and columns. Rows go across. Columns go down. The slate has 6 rows of 7 squares.
Count row by row: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42. Each row adds 7 more squares. So the total is 6 × 7. Multiplying is a fast way to count equal rows.
Area = length × breadth = 7 cm × 6 cm = 42 cm²
Length is the longer side, 7 cm. Breadth is the shorter side, 6 cm. Not 42 cm, and not just "42".
Tap every square in the lab. Then compare with length × breadth.
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