Question

a rectangular garden measures 21 ft by 42 ft. surrounding (and bordering) the garden is a path 3 ft wide. find the area of this path. be sure to include the correct unit in your answer.

Explanation:

Step1: Find outer - rectangle dimensions

The length of the outer - rectangle is $42 + 2\times3=48$ ft (adding 3 ft on each side), and the width is $21 + 2\times3 = 27$ ft.

Step2: Calculate outer - rectangle area

The area of the outer - rectangle $A_{outer}=48\times27 = 1296$ square feet.

Step3: Calculate garden area

The area of the garden $A_{garden}=42\times21=882$ square feet.

Step4: Calculate path area

The area of the path $A = A_{outer}-A_{garden}=1296 - 882=414$ square feet.

Answer:

$414$ ft²