Question

draw a line on the figure below to break it into two rectangles.
hint: click on the red box to change the color of the digital ink.
5 yd
4 yd
5 yd

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the irregular shape

The figure is a rectangle with a small rectangular section missing from the bottom right, making it an irregular polygon.

Step2: Draw a horizontal split

Draw a horizontal line parallel to the top and bottom sides, connecting the left side (at 4 yd from the top) to the right side. This creates one rectangle with dimensions $5 \text{ yd} \times 4 \text{ yd}$, and a second smaller rectangle with dimensions $5 \text{ yd} \times (5-4) \text{ yd} = 5 \text{ yd} \times 1 \text{ yd}$.
Alternative: Draw a vertical split: Draw a vertical line parallel to the left and right sides, connecting the top side (at 4 yd from the left) to the bottom side. This creates one rectangle with dimensions $4 \text{ yd} \times 5 \text{ yd}$, and a second smaller rectangle with dimensions $(5-4) \text{ yd} \times 5 \text{ yd} = 1 \text{ yd} \times 5 \text{ yd}$.

Answer:

Either a horizontal line 4 yards from the top (connecting left and right edges) or a vertical line 4 yards from the left (connecting top and bottom edges) will split the figure into two rectangles.