All About Rectangles

Don’t be a square (at least not all the time). Learn all about rectangles.

Taylor Hartley

Author
Taylor Hartley

jill padfield

Expert Reviewer
Jill Padfield

Published: July 2024

All About Rectangles

Don’t be a square (at least not all the time). Learn all about rectangles.

Taylor Hartley

Author
Taylor Hartley

jill padfield

Expert Reviewer
Jill Padfield

Published: July 2024

All About
Rectangles

Don’t be a square (at least not all the time). Learn all about rectangles.
Taylor Hartley

Author
Taylor Hartley

jill padfield

Expert Reviewer
Jill Padfield

Published: July 2024

Key takeaways

  • A rectangle is a four-sided closed shape with equal parallel sides – A square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always a square!
  • There are three main parts to a rectangle shape – A rectangle’s length, width, and diagonal are important when calculating different measurements.
  • Follow simple equations to calculate the perimeter and area of a rectangle – It’s not too hard to figure out how much space a rectangle takes up, so long as you know your length and width.

We know our world is made up of all different shapes and sizes. One of the most common shapes out there is the rectangle! Rectangles share a lot of qualities with the square, but they’re not exactly alike. 

Let’s learn all about rectangles: what they are, what sets them apart from their square siblings, and what to do when you’re trying to measure one!

What is a rectangle?

Like a square, a rectangle is a two-dimensional (or flat) rectilinear shape with four sides and four right angles. By a rectangle’s definition, opposite sides must be equal and parallel to each other. 

The two dimensions of a rectangle are length and width. Length is the longer side of a rectangle, while width is the shorter side of the rectangle. 

Did you know? A square IS a rectangle. It has four sides, four right angles, and the opposite sides are equal and parallel. But, not all rectangles are squares because they might not have sides that are equal to each other.

Rectangle examples in the real world

Take a look around you, and you will find rectangles everywhere! Need a few examples? Let’s take a look at some real-life rectangles.

Rectangles in the wild

Other names for a rectangle

Rectangles have a few different names, which can be confusing if you don’t know what they mean. Let’s take a quick look at other names for rectangles so you can be in the know.

  • Equiangular quadrilateral – Equiangular means equal angles, and quadrilateral means four sides. A rectangle is an equiangular quadrilateral since it is a 4-sided closed shape with equal angles!
  • Right-angled parallelogram – A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with equal and parallel sides, and a rectangle is a special parallelogram because it has right angles. 

Properties of a rectangle

There are a few qualities a shape must have to be considered a rectangle. The shape must be a flat, 2D closed shape with: 

  • 4 sides, 4 angles, and 4 corners (also known as vertices)
  • 2 dimensions (length and width)
  • 4 angles that measure 90 degrees
  • 4 opposite sides that are equal and parallel
  • 2 diagonals of equal length

Unlock unlimited maths questions

Put your skills to the test with fun exercises + maths games that are proven to boost ability!

Explore rectangles with DoodleMaths

DoodleMaths is an award-winning app that’s filled with thousands of questions and games exploring shape, multiplication and more!

Designed by teachers, it creates each child a unique work programme tailored to their needs, boosting their progression with 10 minutes of use a day. Try it free!

for families

Parts of a rectangle

Like circles and squares, there are different parts to a rectangle. Understanding these parts will help you calculate the perimeter and area.

Length

This is pretty simple: the length of a rectangle is how long a rectangle is. You can find the length by measuring one of the long sides of the rectangle. If one long side is not equal to the other long side, it is not a rectangle.

Width

The width of a rectangle is how wide the rectangle is. You can find the width by measuring one of the two short sides of the rectangle. Like with length, if one of the short sides does not equal the other short side, it is not a rectangle. 

Diagonals

Diagonals are the line segments that connect the opposite corners of the rectangle. Diagonals should be equal to each other. 

Diagonals

What can we measure using the parts of a rectangle?

There’s plenty we can calculate using the parts of a rectangle. If we have the length and width, we can calculate the perimeter and the area. We can also use the length and width to calculate the length of the diagonal, but we will have to use an equation called the Pythagorean theorem

Let’s go from easiest to hardest: measuring perimeter.

Perimeter of a rectangle

The perimeter is the measure of the outside of a rectangle. Put plainly, you can calculate the perimeter like this: 

length + width + length + width = perimeter

Or, if you know how to multiply: 

2(length) + 2(width) = perimeter

You can also write this as: (length + width)  × 2 = perimeter

So, let’s find the perimeter of the rectangle we’ve been working with:

You can write this out either as 

3 + 1 + 3 + 1 or 

2(3) + 2(1) or

(3+1)  × 2

Do your calculations, and you should find that the perimeter is 8 centimetres. 

Area of a rectangle

The area measures the inside of the rectangle or how much space it takes up. Calculating the area of a rectangle is pretty easy, as long as you can multiply!

Multiply the length by the width to find the area. 

Put another way: length × width = area

Let’s find the area of our rectangle.

This means that the area is 3 × 1 = 3 centimetres. 

Diagonals

Finding the length of diagonals using the length and width of the sides is a little more complicated. We have to use what’s known as the Pythagorean theorem, which you may not learn until 6th grade or later. 

Let’s talk about how to do it, just in case you want to challenge yourself. 

The diagonal of a rectangle is the hypotenuse, or the slanted side of a right triangle. It’s called a right triangle because it has a 90-degree angle at its base. 

How do you calculate the hypotenuse of a right triangle? 

The Pythagorean Theorem is as follows: 

A2 + B2 = C2 

A = length, B = width, and C = the length of the diagonal or the triangle’s hypotenuse. 

The small 2 next to each letter means we need to square the number or multiply it by itself. So, using our example rectangle:

3 × 3 = 9

1 × 1 = 1

C = We don’t know, right? 

So 9+1 = 10

10 = C2

So, to find C on its own, we take the square root of both sides, which is the opposite of squaring. 

The diagonal is equal to the square root of 10, which can be written as √10. 

If you know how to calculate decimals, this is equal to 3.162.

Try DoodleMaths for free!

Select a year group

  • Number

  • Shape, space and measure

  • Patterns

  • Number and place value

  • Addition and subtraction

  • Multiplication and division

  • Operations (ASMD)

  • Fractions

  • Measure

  • Shape/geometry

  • Statistics

  • Ratio and proportion

  • Algebra

  • Probability

Sample questions

Let’s practise together

Now that we know what a rectangle is and how to find the perimeter and the area, let’s practise together! We’re going to walk through the next three practice problems with you. 

1. Which of the following is a rectangle?

Practice Problem

While all of these shapes are closed and two-dimensional, only D has equal, opposite sides that are parallel and four 90-degree angles, so D is the correct answer. 

2. Using the rectangle above, calculate the perimeter. 

So we know that if the top side of the rectangle is 3 centimetres, so is the bottom side. Additionally, since the right side of the rectangle is 2 centimetres, we know that the left side is also 2 centimetres. 

That means the perimeter equals 3 + 2 + 3 + 2, or 2(3) + 2(2), or (3+2)  × 2 

If we add these sides together or multiply each side by 2, we’ll find out that the perimeter is 10 centimetres

3. Using the rectangle above, calculate the area. 

Remember, the area of a rectangle can be calculated by multiplying the length by the width. So: 

3 × 2 = 6 centimetres

Ready to give it a go?

You’ve learned valuable skills about rectangles. Now it’s time to put your skills to the test! Take a look at these practice problems and find the right answer on your own.

Practice problems

Click to reveal the answer.

Both A and B are rectangles

Which is a rectangle

For the last two questions, use the figure below:

Rectangles - Practice Problem 3

FAQs about rectangle shapes

We understand that diving into new information can sometimes be overwhelming, and questions often arise. That’s why we’ve meticulously crafted these FAQs, based on real questions from students and parents. We’ve got you covered!

A rectangle must have 4 sides and 4 right angles. It has two pairs of parallel and opposite sides, too. The parallel and opposite sides must equal each other. 

Other names for rectangles include equilateral quadrilateral and right-angled parallelogram. 

To calculate the area of a rectangle, you simply measure its length by its width. So, if you have a rectangle with a length of 4 cm and a width of 2 cm, you multiply 4 by 2 to get 8 cm. 

All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares! Because a square follows the properties of a rectangle, it must be considered a rectangle. 

However, rectangles do not have to have 4 equal sides to be called rectangles.

To calculate the perimeter of a rectangle, you will add up all four of its sides. 

So if you have a rectangle with a length of 5 cm and a width of 2 cm, you would add 5 + 5 + 2 + 2 (or multiply 5 by 2, since you have 2 sides that measure 5 cm, and 2 by 2 since you have 2 sides that measure 2 cm) to get 14 cm. 

Group 208

Parents, sign up for a DoodleMaths subscription and see your child become a maths wizard!

Parent Guide

Doodle-Blog-NumberIcons_1

Both A and B are rectangles.

How did we get here? 

  1. Remember, rectangles must: 
    • Have 4 sides
    • And each opposite side must be equal and parallel
    • With 90-degree angles
  2. So, looking at the shapes, we can determine that the square (A) and the rectangle (B) are BOTH rectangles.
Doodle-Blog-NumberIcons_2

The answer is B, False. A square is ALWAYS a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always a square.

Doodle-Blog-NumberIcons_3

The answer is A, yes. It is a square, and a square matches all qualities of a rectangle!

Doodle-Blog-NumberIcons_4

The answer is 16 cm.

How did we get here?

  1. Let’s identify the two measurements we need: the length and the width. 
  2. The length is 6 cm and the width is 2 cm. 
  3. So now, let’s use our perimeter equation: 2(6) + 2(2) = 16 cm.
Doodle-Blog-NumberIcons_5

The answer is 12 cm.

How did we get here?

  1. Let’s identify the two measurements we need: the length and the width. 
  2. The length is 6 cm and the width is 2 cm.
  3. So now, let’s use our area equation: 6 × 2 = 12 cm.

Lesson credits

Taylor Hartley

Taylor Hartley

Taylor Hartley is an author and an English teacher. When she's not writing, you can find her on the rowing machine or lost in a good novel.

jill padfield

Jill Padfield

Jill Padfield has 7 years of experience teaching mathematics, ranging from Algebra to Calculus. She is currently working as a Business Analyst, working to improve services for Veterans while earning a masters degree in business administration.

Taylor Hartley

Taylor Hartley

Taylor Hartley is an author and an English teacher. When she's not writing, you can find her on the rowing machine or lost in a good novel.

jill padfield

Jill Padfield

Jill Padfield has 7 years of experience teaching mathematics, ranging from Algebra to Calculus. She is currently working as a Business Analyst, working to improve services for Veterans while earning a masters degree in business administration.

Login

Are you a parent, teacher or student?

Get started for free!

Are you a parent or teacher?

Maths information pack

We ask for your contact info so we can send our info pack directly to your inbox for your convenience

Exam prep information pack

We ask for your contact info so we can send our info pack directly to your inbox for your convenience

Case studies information pack

We ask for your contact info so we can send our info pack directly to your inbox for your convenience

Information pack

We ask for your contact info so that our Education Consultants can get in touch with you and let you know a bit more about Doodle.

Student Login

Which programme would you like to use?

If you’d like to use Doodle’s browser version, please visit this page on a desktop.

To log in to Doodle on this device, you can do so through our apps. You can find out how to download them here: