Definition
Square metre
A square metre is the area of a 1 m by 1 m square.
What it means
Square metres measure areas such as floors, walls, and rooms. Think of covering the surface with 1 m by 1 m squares and counting how many fit without gaps or overlaps.
Remember it
One floor-sized square, 1 m on every side, covers 1 m².
Example
A rectangular room is 4 m long and 3 m wide. Its area is 4 × 3 = 12 m², so twelve 1 m by 1 m squares would cover the floor.
Watch for
A line that is 1 m long has length, not area. One square metre needs both a length and a width.
Common mix-up
One square metre is 10,000 cm², not 100 cm², because both side lengths change from metres to centimetres.
Exact meaning
One square metre (m²) is the area of a square whose side length is 1 metre. It equals 10,000 square centimetres.