What is the area formula for a parallelogram in terms of base b and height h?

What is the area formula for a parallelogram in terms of base b and height h?

• A. A = b h^2
• B. A = b/h
• C. A = hb
• D. A = bh

Answer: (D)

The area of a parallelogram is found by multiplying its base by its perpendicular height. The height is the distance between the base and the opposite side measured at right angles. If you slide one side down to align with the base, you can form a rectangle with the same base and height, and a rectangle’s area is base times height. So the area is A = b × h, written as A = bh. Writing the factors in the opposite order, A = hb, is the same value because multiplication is commutative, but bh is the conventional form. Expressions like b h^2 would give the wrong units (length cubed), and b/h would not produce an area.

The area of a parallelogram is found by multiplying its base by its perpendicular height. The height is the distance between the base and the opposite side measured at right angles. If you slide one side down to align with the base, you can form a rectangle with the same base and height, and a rectangle’s area is base times height. So the area is A = b × h, written as A = bh. Writing the factors in the opposite order, A = hb, is the same value because multiplication is commutative, but bh is the conventional form. Expressions like b h^2 would give the wrong units (length cubed), and b/h would not produce an area.