Video Transcript
The Parkers are building a fence around a rectangular yard that is 52 feet long and 29 feet wide. How much fence will they need?
We can first sketch their rectangular yard that is 52 feet long and 29 foot wide. The question “How much fence will they need?” is a question of perimeter, the distance around the rectangular yard. And we can find the perimeter of a rectangle by taking the length and adding the width and multiplying that by two. Or we could add the length plus the length and the width plus the width. This is because, in a rectangle, the opposite sides have the same length.
And so we’ll find the amount of fence they need by multiplying the length plus the width times two. 52 feet plus 29 feet times two. 52 plus 29 equals 81. And when we multiply 81 by two, we get 162. Since the perimeter is 162 feet, they will need 162 feet of fence.
We would find the same solution if we add 52 plus 52 plus 29 plus 29, which is also equal to 162. So we can say because the perimeter of this rectangular yard is 162 feet, the Parkers will need to buy 162 feet of fencing.
