OpenOlympiad
Concept 4 of 10Foundation
Video

Composite shapes — split & add

Real-life shapes often combine rectangles and triangles. Strategy:

  1. Divide the shape into simple known shapes (split with pencil).
  2. Compute the area of each piece.
  3. Add them (or subtract cut-outs).
Example
L-shape made of 10×6 rectangle with a 3×2 corner removed:
Area = 60 – 6 = 54 units².
💡 Tip:Sometimes it's easier to take the bounding rectangle and SUBTRACT the 'missing' piece.
Prefer a video? Open YouTube search for “composite shapes area class 6

🎯 Try it!

5 questions to check what you just read.

0 / 5
  1. Q1.L-shape: 8×6 rectangle minus 3×2 cut-out. Area:
  2. Q2.Rectangle 10×5 with square 2×2 removed. Area:
  3. Q3.Best approach for composite shapes:
  4. Q4.A square has a circular hole (radius 7) cut out. Remaining area depends on:
  5. Q5.Composite area = sum of pieces