Area and volume questions are some of the most predictable points on the test — if you know the formulas, they're almost free. The catch is knowing which formula to grab and not mixing up perimeter with area.
Triangle area uses the base and the perpendicular height — here the two legs of a right triangle.
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Cylinder volume = πr²h: the circle's area πr² multiplied by the height.
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Quick check
Check your understanding with a question from this topic:
A rectangle has length 3 and width 14. What is its area?
Enter a whole number, fraction (e.g. 3/4), or decimal (e.g. .75).
Worked examples
Example 1
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Example 2
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Example 3
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Common pitfalls
Confusing area with perimeter
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Forgetting the ½ in triangle area
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Using a slanted side as the height
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Mixing up radius and diameter
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Key takeaways
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Watch & learn
Curated walkthroughs on Area and Volume. They're complementary to this lesson — watch one if a written explanation isn't clicking, or after to reinforce.
Tracks your progress across lessons.
Checkpoint
10 questions on Area and Volume, from our question bank. Score 70% or better across 10 answers to reach Silver and pass this step.
Area measures how much flat space a 2D shape covers, in square units. Perimeter is the distance around a shape — just add up all the side lengths. Volume measures how much space a 3D solid holds, in cubic units. The test gives you most volume formulas in a reference sheet, but the area ones you should just know cold.
Triangle: Area = ½ × base × height. The height is the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite point — not necessarily a side. Perimeter is just the three sides added.
Circle: Area = πr², where r is the radius (distance from center to edge). Circumference (the perimeter of a circle) = 2πr. The diameter is 2r, all the way across.
Cylinder: Volume = πr²h — that's the circle area times the height.
Sphere: Volume = (4/3)πr³.
Cone: Volume = (1/3)πr²h.
The single most important habit: match the units to the measurement. Perimeter and circumference are linear (just units, like cm). Area is squared (cm²). Volume is cubed (cm³). If a question gives you an area and asks for a side length, you'll be taking a square root somewhere.
Another key move: work backwards. If you know a rectangle's area is 42 and its width is 14, then length = 42 ÷ 14 = 3. Many test questions hand you the area or volume and ask for a missing dimension — just plug into the formula and solve.
Finally, watch for the triangle height trap: the height must be perpendicular to the base. In a right triangle the two legs serve as base and height, but in other triangles the height may be a separate dashed line, and a slanted side is not the height.
A rectangle has a length of 9 and a width of 4. What is the area of the rectangle?
A triangle has a base of 10 and a height of 6. What is the area of the triangle?
A cylinder has a radius of 3 and a height of 7. What is the volume of the cylinder? (Use the formula V = πr²h and give your answer in terms of π.)
Perimeter adds the sides (linear units); area multiplies dimensions (square units). Read whether the question wants the distance around or the space inside before choosing a formula.
Triangle area is ½ × base × height, not base × height. Skipping the half doubles your answer — and the test always offers that doubled value as a wrong choice.
The height of a triangle must be perpendicular to the base. A tilted side is longer than the true height, so plugging it in gives a too-big area. Look for the right-angle mark or a dashed perpendicular line.
Circle and cylinder formulas use the radius. If the problem gives the diameter, halve it first. Forgetting this makes circle area off by a factor of 4 (since the radius gets squared).
Rectangle area = length × width; triangle area = ½ × base × height; circle area = πr².
Volume of a box = lwh; cylinder = πr²h — square the radius, then multiply by height.
Perimeter/circumference use plain units, area uses square units, volume uses cubic units.
When given the area or volume and asked for a side, plug into the formula and solve backwards.
Always use the radius (half the diameter) and keep the ½ in triangle area.
Area and Volume — SAT, PSAT & ACT Lesson | UnlimitedTests