How to Calculate the Area of a Rhombus

A rhombus is a shape with four equal sides, each of which is parallel to the opposite side. While a square is a type of rhombus, they can also be diamond-shaped, with angles of greater or less than 90° at each corner. There are several easy ways to find the area of a diamond-shaped rhombus. One is to measure the rhombus diagonally from corner to corner, each way. For instance, let’s say your rhombus measures 10 cm across lengthwise and 6 cm across widthwise. Once you find the length of each diagonal, multiply the lengths together. In this case, 10 cm x 6 cm = 60 cm. Finally, divide the result by 2. Don’t forget to square your units when you write the result, since you’re measuring the area. 60/2 = 30, so our rhombus has an area of 30 cm squared. Another simple method is to multiply the base length of the rhombus by its height. Measure the width of the bottom line of the rhombus, then take a perpendicular measurement from the base to the opposite line at the top. Multiply the measurements together to find the area. For instance, if a rhombus is 12 cm long at the base and has a height of 8 cm, the area of the rhombus would be 96 cm squared. If you only know the length of one side of the rhombus and one of the angles, you can still figure out the area using trigonometry. To do this, square the length of the known side, then multiply the result by the sine of one of the angles. For instance, if the rhombus has one side with a length of 6 cm, and you know it contains a 45° angle, the area would be 36 cm squared x sin(45°), or approximately 30.63 cm squared. If you want to learn how to use trigonometry to find the area of the rhombus, keep reading the article!