Grade 6 · Area
Workshop model: Build base-times-height area
Workshop model investigation: build base-times-height area. Change the quantities, follow the motion, and explain the result using the displayed mathematical relationship.
Predict what will happen, press Play, then pause and explain what changed. Every control also works without playback.
Watch the relationship
PausedHD animation studio
From experiment to screen.
Present a crisp Canvas scene, save a full-HD image, or capture your model as a silent video.
Understand what you are seeing
The idea behind the motion.
Area counts square units covering a region. A rectangle's rows each have length b and its perpendicular height tells how many such rows fit. A parallelogram with the same base and perpendicular height has the same area after cutting and rearranging. This investigation begins with base length = 2.5; perpendicular height = 2.5. Treat the named setting as a constructed classroom model, then explain which relationships would still hold if its numbers changed.
A relationship to keep
A = base × perpendicular height
Read the symbols alongside the explanation. A diagram shows the relationship; the assumptions tell you when it applies.
- STEP 1
Represent the given quantities
Distinguish the base length from the perpendicular distance between the parallel sides.
- STEP 2
Follow the changing model
Watch horizontal strips fill the rectangle; their combined area grows in proportion to the fraction of height covered.
- STEP 3
Check and explain the relationship
Multiply the full base and height, and report square units rather than ordinary length units.
Your turn to explain
Make a prediction. Test your reasoning.
Workshop model: Find the area with base 2.5 and perpendicular height 2.5.
Use the values specified in the question. Reset restores the initial values for this investigation.
Compare your explanation
6.25 square units; the product is 2.5 × 2.5.
Work through a full lesson
Connect the animation to a worked example and practice questions.