Finding Area

Area is a measure of the number of square units it takes to cover a two-dimensional plane. Since the measurement unit is a square, area is reported in square units.

For example, if measuring in square inches, a 4-inch by 3-inch rectangle would require 3 rows of 4 square inches to cover the rectangle and thus would have an area of 12 inches squared, which can be written 12 in².

Finding Surface Area

Surface area involves a three-dimensional figure and is the sum of the area of all surfaces. Because it deals with area, it is still measured in square units.