Difference Between Feet and Square Feet

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The Difference Between Feet and Square Feet is that feet is a unit used for measuring length, whereas square feet is a unit used for measuring area. Length is typically measured in feet, while area, which involves two dimensions (length and width), is measured in square feet, and is calculated by multiplying the length and width.

What is Feet?

A foot is a unit that is used to measure the length or distance in the US. The foot is a single abbreviation of Feet. It is usually denoted by “ft”. Additionally, the foot is commonly used to measure distances, heights, and more, especially in everyday contexts.

For example, the given ruler scale measures 12 inches which is equal to 1 foot, and it is also equal to the 0.3048 m or 30.48 cm in the Metric System.

What is Square Feet?

Square foot is a term that is used to describe the area of a shape, that is the space inside the lines, or boundaries, of the shape. For instance, all four sides of the square are all of the same length, and inside of all these four lines, is the area of the square. The same can be used to calculate the area of other shapes, like:

  • Rectangles 
  • Triangles
  • Circles
  • Trapezoids
  • Rhombuses
  • Parallelograms

What is the Difference between Feet and Square Feet

The difference between feet and square feet is that a square foot is a two-dimensional shape with a one-foot measurement along with its length, foot, and width. In simpler terms, feet is the linear measurement of length and square feet is the square feet is the area measurement of a 2-dimensional linear plane covering area of 1 square foot.

To know the difference more clearly difference between Feet and Square Feet, you can refer to the given table. Observe the basis of the difference between the two.

Particulars FeetSquare Feet
DefinitionA foot is a unit that is used to measure the length or distance in the US.
Square foot is a term that is used to describe the area of a shape, that is the space inside the lines, or boundaries, of the shape.
Type of MeasurementLengthArea
UnitsInches, CentimetersSquare Inches, Square Meters.
FormulaLength (ft) x Width (ft)
ExampleHeight of DoorArea of Carpet

Feet and Square Feet Formulas 

There are different ways to calculate square feet formulas, these formulas differ from shape to shape. Below are the formulas to calculate square feet for the shapes mentioned below:

Rectangles 

A = length x width

Triangles

A = 1/2 base x height

Circles

A = π x radius2

Trapezoids

A = [(base length + top length) / 2] x height

Rhombuses

A = distance from one pair of opposite angles x distance from the other pair of opposite angles

Parallelograms

A = base x height

Further, the formula to calculate foot, remember that there are 12 inches in every foot. So, every time when you need to find out the foot of an object just count 12 inches and the result will be equivalent to one foot.

Feet vs Square Feet Chart

Particulars FeetSquare Feet
DefinitionA foot is a unit that is used to measure the length or distance in the US.
Square foot is a term that is used to describe the area of a shape, that is the space inside the lines, or boundaries, of the shape.
ExampleYou have a triangular flower bed with a base of 10 feet and an area of 20 square feet.  What is the height of the flower bed?
The area (A) is 20 square feet and the base (b) is 10 feet.Substitute the known values: h = 20 sq ft / (1/2 * 10 ft)We get, the height of the flower bed (h) is 4 feet.
Practice QuestionYou are building a lemonade stand and want to design a triangular sign.  You have a wooden board that is 8 feet long and you want the sign to have an area of 12 square feet.  What height would you need to cut the board to achieve this size sign?

Application of Feet and Square Feet in Real Life

Feet are commonly applicable things in daily life, and so are Square feet. We commonly use feet to measure the length of a room, the height of a wall, or maybe for some other similar purpose. Also, square feet are commonly used to measure the space of a building or other construction projects.

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FAQ’s

How to Convert a Foot to Square Feet

Length (in feet) x width (in feet) = area in sq. ft, using this formula you can easily convert a foot to square feet.

How Many Feet Are in a Square Foot?

There is only one foot in a square foot.

What is the definition of feet?

A foot is a unit that is used to measure the length or distance in the US.

What is the definition of square feet?

Square foot is a term that is used to describe the area of a shape, that is the space inside the lines, or boundaries, of the shape.

This was all about the “Difference Between Feet and Square Feet”.  For more such informative blogs, check out our Study Material Section, you can learn more about us by visiting our  Indian exams page.

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