Chapter 12.8, Problem 1P

Suppose that a student in your class wants to know why we multiply only 2 of the lengths of the sides of a rectangle to determine the rectangle’s area. After all, when we calculate the perimeter of a rectangle, we add the lengths of the 4 sides of the rectangle, so why don’t we multiply the lengths of the 4 sides to fmd the area?

1. Explain to the student what perimeter and area mean, and explain why we carry out the perimeter and area calculations for a rectangle the way we do.
2. Describe some problems or activities that might help the student understand the calculations.