Simple Python Program: Calculating the Area of a Rectangle

This article presents a straightforward Python program designed to calculate the area of a rectangle. It’s a great example for beginners to understand basic input, calculation, and output operations in Python.

Program Purpose

The purpose of this program is simple: to take two numerical inputs from the user, representing the length and width of a rectangle, and then compute and display its area. The area of a rectangle is calculated by multiplying its length by its width.

Program Code

Here is the complete Python code for the rectangle area calculator:

def calculate_rectangle_area():
    """
    This function calculates the area of a rectangle based on user input
    for length and width.
    """
    print("Welcome to the Rectangle Area Calculator!")

    try:
        # Get input for length from the user
        length_str = input("Please enter the length of the rectangle: ")
        length = float(length_str) # Convert input to a floating-point number

        # Get input for width from the user
        width_str = input("Please enter the width of the rectangle: ")
        width = float(width_str) # Convert input to a floating-point number

        # Check if the inputs are positive
        if length < 0 or width < 0:
            print("Error: Length and width cannot be negative. Please enter positive values.")
        else:
            # Calculate the area
            area = length * width

            # Display the result
            print(f"\nThe length of the rectangle is: {length}")
            print(f"The width of the rectangle is: {width}")
            print(f"The area of the rectangle is: {area:.2f}") # Format to 2 decimal places

    except ValueError:
        print("Error: Invalid input. Please enter numerical values for length and width.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An unexpected error occurred: {e}")

# Call the function to run the program
if __name__ == "__main__":
    calculate_rectangle_area()