What is the total area of the figure, which consists of five squares with a side length of 3 cm?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking to calculate the combined area of a figure composed of five squares. The figure consists of a row of four squares, each with a side length of 3 cm, and an additional square placed on top of the fourth square. To find the total area, we calculate the area of a single square and then multiply it by five, since there are five identical squares in total.
Answer
$45 \, \text{cm}^2$
Answer for screen readers
$45 , \text{cm}^2$
Steps to Solve
- Calculate the area of one square
The area of a square is calculated by squaring the length of one of its sides.
$$Area = side \times side$$ Given that the side length is 3 cm: $$Area = 3 , \text{cm} \times 3 , \text{cm} = 9 , \text{cm}^2$$
- Calculate the total area of the figure
Since there are 5 squares in total, multiply the area of one square by 5.
$$Total , Area = 5 \times Area , of , one , square$$ $$Total , Area = 5 \times 9 , \text{cm}^2 = 45 , \text{cm}^2$$
$45 , \text{cm}^2$
More Information
The total area of the figure composed of five squares, each with a side length of 3 cm, is 45 square centimeters.
Tips
A common mistake is to only calculate the area of the four squares in the row, forgetting to include the additional square. Another mistake is to confuse area and perimeter calculations. Always double-check what the question is asking for: area (square units) or perimeter (linear units).
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