The perimeter is the length of the outline of a shape. To find the perimeter of a rectangle or square you have to add the lengths of all the four sides. x is in this case the length of the rectangle while y is the width of the rectangle.
The perimeter, P, is:
P=x+x+y+y
P=2x+2y
P=2(x+y)
Example
Find the perimeter of this rectangle:
P=7+7+4+4
P=2⋅7+2⋅4
P=2⋅(7+4)
P=2⋅11
P=22in
The area is measurement of the surface of a shape. To find the area of a rectangle or a square you need to multiply the length and the width of a rectangle or a square.
Area, A, is x times y.
A=x⋅y
Example
Find the area of this square.
A=x⋅y
A=5⋅5
A=25in^2
There are different units for perimeter and area The perimeter has the same units as the length of the sides of rectangle or square whereas the area’s unit is squared.