What is the formula for the area of a parallelogram? The area of a parallelogram is calculated by multiplying its base (b) by its perpendicular height (h). The formula is: Area = b × h square units . The height is the perpendicular distance between the base and the opposite side. 2. A diagonal of a parallelogram divides it into two congruent triangles, so the area of a parallelogram is twice the area of either of those triangles. Using the area formula for a triangle, the area of the parallelogram shown above is: In this tutorial, you'll learn how to find the area of a parallelogram . We'll look at the different formulas and use them to solve example problems. Area of a parallelogram . Definition and formulawhere b is the length of any base a is the corresponding altitude See Derivation of the formula . Recall that any of the four sides can be chosen as the base. You must use the altitude that goes with the base you choose. The altitude (or height) of a parallelogram is the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite side (which may have to be extended). In the figure above, the altitude corresponding to the base CD is shown.
