section_path: Area formulas/Polygon formulas/Rectangles
section_name: Rectangles
paragraph_text: Rectangles
  
  The most basic area formula is the formula for the area of a rectangle. Given a rectangle with length l and width w, the formula for the area is:
  
  That is, the area of the rectangle is the length multiplied by the width. As a special case, as l = w in the case of a square, the area of a square with side length s is given by the formula:
  
  The formula for the area of a rectangle follows directly from the basic properties of area, and is sometimes taken as a definition or axiom. On the other hand, if geometry is developed before arithmetic, this formula can be used to define multiplication of real numbers.