Base of a Parallelogram

The base and height of a parallelogram are widely used terms to solve problems on parallelograms. Here we will learn about the base of a parallelogram.

What is the Base of a Parallelogram

A base of a parallelogram is any one of its sides. The base and corresponding altitude of a parallelogram are identified based on the side chosen as its base.

Formula

Let us derive the formula to find the base of a parallelogram in simple steps.

Derivation

The formula to calculate the base of a parallelogram is obtained from the standard formula of the area.

Area of a parallelogram (A) = b × h, here b = base, h = height

⇒ b = A/h

This is the formula to calculate the base of a parallelogram.

Let us solve some examples to understand the above concept better.

Solved Examples

Find the base of a parallelogram whose altitude is 13 m and area 234 sq m.

Solution:

As we know,
b = A/h, here h = 13 m, A = 234 m
= 234/13
18 m

Find the base of a parallelogram with a base four times the height and area 64 sq cm.

Solution:

As we know,
b = A/h, here h = b/4 (since b = 4h), A = 64 sq cm
b = 64 ÷ b/4
b² = 64 × 4 b = 16 cm