To say that a shape is 8 square inches is to say that the area within the shape (i.e. the area defined by its outline) covers 8 square inches; a square inch is the amount of space contained in a 1 inch by 1 inch square.
Within the simplest shapes, squares and rectangles, a square inch is simply the shape's length multiplied by its width; so a rectangle that was 4 inches long and 3 inches wide would cover 12 square inches (4 x 3 = 12).
Other shapes can be more complicated to figure out, for instance to find the area of a circle you use the formula π x the radius2.
So for a circle that has a radius of 3 inches you would calculate its area as:
π x 32, or 3.14159 x 9 = 28.27431
So the area of a circle with a radius of 3" is 28.27431 square inches.
Education.com offers 10 tips for success with math.
In the news, some states are moving to repeal the much-debated Common Core math and English standards developed by state and nonprofit leaders, which have been embraced by President Obama's Education Department.