GCSE Maths Perimeter, Area and Circles: lesson and practice questions

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

• Find the perimeter and area of rectangles, squares, triangles, parallelograms and trapezia, and explain where each formula comes from
• Split compound shapes into simple pieces (or subtract a piece) to find their area and perimeter
• Convert between units of area such as cm² and m², and solve area problems about paint, turf, fencing and cost
• Name the parts of a circle and calculate circumference and area, with a calculator and in terms of π
• Work with semicircles, quarter circles and shapes made from circles, and work backwards from a given area or circumference
• Calculate arc lengths and areas of sectors; (Higher) segments, algebraic forms and exact answers with π and surds

You should already know

• Multiplying and dividing whole numbers and decimals (Chapter 1)
• Squares and square roots (Chapter 2)
• Rounding to decimal places and significant figures (Chapter 4)
• Substituting into formulae and solving simple equations (Chapters 8 and 9)

Where this leads

• Volume and surface area (Chapter 19)
• Pythagoras and trigonometry (Chapter 20)
• Similar shapes: how area scales (Chapter 21)
• Circle theorems (Chapter 26)