Square meters are the measure of an area, and are usually used to measure a flat space such as a field or the floor of a house. For example, you could measure the base of a sofa in square meters, then measure your living room to check that it can accommodate it. In this guide you will also find useful information for converting other area measurements into square meters.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Calculating an Area in Square Meters
Step 1. Choose a tape measure or tape measure
Use one in meters or centimeters. These tools will facilitate the calculation of square meters.
If you live in an Anglo-Saxon country and have a ruler in feet or inches only, use it to take measurements, then move on to the conversion section
Step 2. Measure the length of the area
Square meters are a unit of surface measurement, that is, the size of a two-dimensional object, such as a floor or a field. Use the measuring tool to measure one side of the area, from corner to corner. Write the result.
- If the area is longer than 1 meter, remember to include meters and centimeters in the result. For example "2 meters and 35 centimeters".
- If you want to measure an object that is not rectangular or square, read the section on complex shapes instead.
Step 3. If you can't measure the entire length at once, do it in multiple measurements
Put the measuring tool down, then place a stone or other small object in a place that is easy to remember (for example after 1 meter). Pick up the tool and put it down again, starting with the small object. Repeat until the entire length is covered, and add all the measurements together.
Step 4. Measure the width
Use the same tool you used for the length. The side you will need to measure in this step should be 90 degrees from what you measured earlier, like two adjacent sides of a square. Also write this number.
Unless the object you are measuring is much smaller than 1 meter, you can round to the nearest centimeter. For example, if the width just exceeds the 1 meter 8cm mark, you can simply use "1m 8cm" as the measurement, regardless of millimeters
Step 5. Convert centimeters to meters
Usually, the measurements will not be precisely divided into meters. Instead, you will have measurements in meters and centimeters, for example "2 meters and 35 centimeters". Since one centimeter equals 0.01m, just rewrite the measurement as 2.35m.
- 35cm = 0.35m, so 2m and 35cm = 2m + 0.35m = 2.35m
- 8cm = 0.08m, so 1m and 8cm = 1.08m
Step 6. Multiply the length and width
Once you've converted the measurements to meters, multiply them to calculate the area in square meters. Use a calculator if necessary. For instance:
2, 35m x 1, 08m = 2, 5272 square meters (m2).
Step 7. Round to a more convenient size
If the calculation produces a value with many decimals, such as 2, 5272, you should round it to a number such as 2, 53. In fact, since you have not measured the length and width with sufficient precision, the last decimal places will not be significant. In most cases you should round to the centimeter.
Whenever you multiply two numbers with the same unit (meters, for example), the result will always have the unit in the squared form (m2 or square meter)
Part 2 of 3: Converting from Other Drives
Step 1. Multiply the square feet by 0.093
Measure the length and width in feet, then multiply these two values to get the result in square feet. Since one square foot = 0.093 square meters, you just need to multiply the value obtained by the conversion value to obtain the measurement in square meters. Square meters are larger than a square foot, so it will take less to cover the same area.
For greater accuracy, multiply the number by 0, 092903
Step 2. Multiply the square yards by 0, 84
To convert a measurement from square yards to square meters, simply multiply the value by 0, 84.
For greater accuracy, multiply the number by 0.83613
Step 3. Multiply the acres by 4050
One acre contains approximately 4050 square meters. If you want to be more precise, multiply by 4046, 9.
Step 4. Convert Square Miles to Square Kilometers
A square mile is a much larger unit of measurement than a square meter, so it is typically converted to square kilometers. Multiply the square miles by 2, 6 to get the area value in square kilometers. For more precision, multiply by 2, 59.
If you really want to convert the result to square meters, remember that 1 square kilometer equals 1 million square meters
Step 5. Convert square meters to units of area and not length
Square meters is a unit of measurement of area, or a two-dimensional surface. It makes no sense to compare them to a unit of measurement of length, that is, distance in one direction. You can convert square meters to square feet, but not square meters to feet.
Do not use the calculations in this section to convert length units. To do this, different conversion values are required
Part 3 of 3: Calculating the Square Meters for a Complex Shape
Step 1. Break the shape into parts
If you need to solve a math problem, draw lines in the shape to divide it into simpler shapes, such as rectangles and triangles. If you are measuring a room or other physical object, first draw a diagram of the area, then repeat the same process. Take measurements of each section and write them on the diagram. Follow the instructions below to find the area of each section, then add the results together.
Step 2. Measure the rectangular parts as you normally would
To find the area of a rectangular section, read the instructions in the previous sections.
If you're measuring in a different unit, read the section on conversions
Step 3. Measure the right triangles as a rectangle, then divide the result by two
A right triangle, which has an angle of 90 degrees like the angles of a square, has an area that is easy to calculate. Measure the two sides adjacent to the 90 ° angle (length and height), multiply them together, then divide by two to get the answer in square meters.
This method works because a right triangle exactly matches a rectangle cut in half. In practice, you just need to calculate the area of the rectangle normally, then divide it by two to get the area of the triangle
Step 4. Turn the other triangles into right triangles, then measure them
Draw a line from one corner of the rectangle to the opposite side, so that it meets that side at a 90 ° angle (imagine the corner of a square). You just split the triangle into two parts, both right-angled triangles! Read the previous step to calculate the area of a right triangle; measure each of the two sub-triangles separately, then add their areas together.
Step 5. Calculate the area of a circle
The area of a circle is πr2, where r is the radius, i.e. the distance from the center of the circle to the circumference. Measure this distance, multiply it by itself, then multiply the result by π with a calculator. If there is no π on your calculator, use 3, 14 (or 3, 1416 if high precision is required).
- If you're not sure where the center of the circle is, have a friend hold a measuring tape and ask him to walk around the circumference of the circle. Hold the other end of the tape and change your position until the measurement remains the same around the entire circumference.
- More complex curved figures require more advanced mathematical calculations. If you are measuring a room for practical purposes, it may be easier to estimate the area by approximating curved surfaces as a series of straight lines.
Advice
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If you are unsure of your calculation, check that the answer is of the right order of magnitude with these references:
- An American football field measures approximately 5400 square meters.
- A football field measures between 4,000 and 11,000 square meters.
- A double mattress measures approximately 5 square meters.
