AI Tutor
Imagine you are building an L-shaped dance floor out of square wooden tiles. How can you find out how many tiles you need without counting them one by one?

Rectangle Area Review

Area is the amount of flat space inside a shape, measured in square units like square centimeters (cm2\text{cm}^2).
For any single rectangle, we find the area by multiplying its length by its width.
A simple rectangle is easy, but what if your shape looks like an L or a T?

Splitting Compound Shapes

A compound shape is a larger shape made by joining two or more simple shapes together.
Because we cannot multiply all the sides at once, we draw a straight line to split the shape into separate, non-overlapping rectangles.
How do we calculate the total area once the shape is sliced?

Step-by-Step Worked Example

Let's find the area of an L-shape with a tall side of 6 cm6\text{ cm}, a bottom side of 5 cm5\text{ cm}, and a uniform thickness of 2 cm2\text{ cm}.