Initial Area Questions

course Mth 271

6/6/2010 2:51

qa initial questions areasIf your solution to stated problem does not match the given solution, you should self-critique per instructions at

http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/geninfo/labrynth_created_fall_05/levl1_22/levl2_81/file3_259.htm

.

Your solution, attempt at solution. If you are unable to attempt a solution,

give a phrase-by-phrase interpretation of the problem along with a statement of

what you do or do not understand about it. This response should be given, based

on the work you did in completing the assignment, before you look at the given

solution.

qa areas etc

001. Areas

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Question: `q001. There are 11 questions and 7 summary questions in this

assignment.

What is the area of a rectangle whose dimensions are 4 m by 3 meters.

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Your solution:

Lenth times width = 4 meters*3 meters=area is 12 square meters.

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Given Solution:

`aA 4 m by 3 m rectangle can be divided into 3 rows of 4 squares, each 1 meter

on a side. This makes 3 * 4 = 12 such squares. Each 1 meter square has an area

of 1 square meter, or 1 m^2. The total area of the rectangle is therefore 12

square meters, or 12 m^2.

The formula for the area of a rectangle is A = L * W, where L is the length and

W the width of the rectangle. Applying this formula to the present problem we

obtain area A = L * W = 4 m * 3 m = (4 * 3) ( m * m ) = 12 m^2.

Note the use of the unit m, standing for meters, in the entire calculation. Note

that m * m = m^2.

FREQUENT STUDENT ERRORS

The following are the most common erroneous responses to this question:

4 * 3 = 12

4 * 3 = 12 meters

INSTRUCTOR EXPLANATION OF ERRORS

Both of these solutions do indicate that we multiply 4 by 3, as is appropriate.

However consider the following:

4 * 3 = 12.

4 * 3 does not equal 12 meters.

4 * 3 meters would equal 12 meters, as would 4 meters * 3.

However the correct result is 4 meters * 3 meters, which is not 12 meters but

12 meters^2, as shown in the given solution.

To get the area you multiply the quantities 4 meters and 3 meters, not the

numbers 4 and 3. And the result is 12 meters^2, not 12 meters, and not just

the number 12.

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Question: `q002. What is the area of a right triangle whose legs are 4.0 meters

and 3.0 meters?

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Your solution:

( 4 meters * 3 meters)/2=6 square meters.This ia a right triangle so you have to divide by 2 to get area.

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Given Solution:

`aA right triangle can be joined along its hypotenuse with another identical

right triangle to form a rectangle. In this case the rectangle would have

dimensions 4.0 meters by 3.0 meters, and would be divided by any diagonal into

two identical right triangles with legs of 4.0 meters and 3.0 meters.

The rectangle will have area A = L * W = 4.0 m * 3.0 m = 12 m^2, as explained in

the preceding problem. Each of the two right triangles, since they are

identical, will therefore have half this area, or 1/2 * 12 m^2 = 6.0 m^2.

The formula for the area of a right triangle with base b and altitude h is A =

1/2 * b * h.

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Question: `q003. What is the area of a parallelogram whose base is 5.0 meters

and whose altitude is 2.0 meters?

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Your solution:

A parallelogram is just like a rectangle when it comes to getting the area . 5 meters * 2 meters = 10 m^2

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Given Solution:

`aA parallelogram is easily rearranged into a rectangle by 'cutting off' the

protruding end, turning that portion upside down and joining it to the other

end. Hopefully you are familiar with this construction. In any case the

resulting rectangle has sides equal to the base and the altitude so its area is

A = b * h.

The present rectangle has area A = 5.0 m * 2.0 m = 10 m^2.

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Question: `q004. What is the area of a triangle whose base is 5.0 cm and whose

altitude is 2.0 cm?

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Your solution:

(5cm * 2cm)/2=10cm/2=5cm^2

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Given Solution:

`aIt is possible to join any triangle with an identical copy of itself to

construct a parallelogram whose base and altitude are equal to the base and

altitude of the triangle. The area of the parallelogram is A = b * h, so the

area of each of the two identical triangles formed by 'cutting' the

parallelogram about the approriate diagonal is A = 1/2 * b * h. The area of the

present triangle is therefore A = 1/2 * 5.0 cm * 2.0 cm = 1/2 * 10 cm^2 = 5.0

cm^2.

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Question: `q005. What is the area of a trapezoid with a width of 4.0 km and

average altitude of 5.0 km?

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Your solution:

4km * 5km = 20km^2

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Given Solution:

`aAny trapezoid can be reconstructed to form a rectangle whose width is equal to

that of the trapezoid and whose altitude is equal to the average of the two

altitudes of the trapezoid. The area of the rectangle, and therefore the

trapezoid, is therefore A = base * average altitude. In the present case this

area is A = 4.0 km * 5.0 km = 20 km^2.

STUDENT SOLUTION ILLUSTRATING NEED TO USE UNITS IN ALL STEPS

A=Base time average altitude therefore………A=4 *5= 20 km ^2

INSTRUCTOR COMMENT

A = (4 km) * (5 km) = 20 km^2.

Use the units at every step. km * km = km^2, and this is why the answer comes

out in km^2.

Try to show the units and how they work out in every step of the solution.

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Question: `q006. What is the area of a trapezoid whose width is 4 cm in whose

altitudes are 3.0 cm and 8.0 cm?

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Your solution:

Find the average altitude( 3cm + 8cm )/2=5.5cm,4cm * 5.5cm=22cm^2

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Given Solution:

`aThe area is equal to the product of the width and the average altitude.

Average altitude is (3 cm + 8 cm) / 2 = 5.5 cm so the area of the trapezoid is A

= 4 cm * 5.5 cm = 22 cm^2.

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Question: `q007. What is the area of a circle whose radius is 3.00 cm?

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Your solution:

A=3.14r^2, 3.14(3cm)^2=3.14 * 9cm = 28.26 cm^2

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Given Solution:

`aThe area of a circle is A = pi * r^2, where r is the radius. Thus

A = pi * (3 cm)^2 = 9 pi cm^2.

Note that the units are cm^2, since the cm unit is part r, which is squared.

The expression 9 pi cm^2 is exact. Any decimal equivalent is an approximation.

Using the 3-significant-figure approximation pi = 3.14 we find that the

approximate area is A = 9 pi cm^2 = 9 * 3.14 cm^2 = 28.26 cm^2, which we round

to 28.3 cm^2 to match the number of significant figures in the given radius.

Be careful not to confuse the formula A = pi r^2, which gives area in square

units, with the formula C = 2 pi r for the circumference. The latter gives a

result which is in units of radius, rather than square units. Area is measured

in square units; if you get an answer which is not in square units this tips you

off to the fact that you've made an error somewhere.

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Self-critique (if necessary):

#### I did not round the unit to match the figures of the radius.

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Question: `q008. What is the circumference of a circle whose radius is exactly 3

cm?

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Your solution:

C=2pi*3cm=18.84cm

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Given Solution:

`aThe circumference of this circle is

C = 2 pi r = 2 pi * 3 cm = 6 pi cm.

This is the exact area. An approximation to 3 significant figures is 6 * 3.14 cm

= 18.8 cm.

Note that circumference is measured in the same units as radius, in this case

cm, and not in cm^2. If your calculation gives you cm^2 then you know you've

done something wrong.

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Self-critique (if necessary):

#### I didn't round to the nearest tenth. Would my answer be incorrect , or do I need to round ??????

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Question: `q009. What is the area of a circle whose diameter is exactly 12

meters?

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Your solution:

A=pi(12meters/2)^2=pi 6m^2meters=pi36m^2=113.04 m^2

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Given Solution:

`aThe area of a circle is A = pi r^2, where r is the radius. The radius of this

circle is half the 12 m diameter, or 6 m. So the area is

A = pi ( 6 m )^2 = 36 pi m^2.

This result can be approximated to any desired accuracy by using a sufficient

number of significant figures in our approximation of pi. For example using the

5-significant-figure approximation pi = 3.1416 we obtain A = 36 m^2 * 3.1416 =

113.09 m^2.

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Question: `q010. What is the area of a circle whose circumference is 14 `pi

meters?

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Your solution:

14 pi meters = 2 pi r,r=14 pi meters/(2 pi), r=7 meters

A=pi 7^2meters,A=pi*49m^2,A=154m^2

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Given Solution:

`aWe know that A = pi r^2. We can find the area if we know the radius r. We

therefore attempt to use the given information to find r.

We know that circumference and radius are related by C = 2 pi r. Solving for r

we obtain r = C / (2 pi). In this case we find that

r = 14 pi m / (2 pi) = (14/2) * (pi/pi) m = 7 * 1 m = 7 m.

We use this to find the area

A = pi * (7 m)^2 = 49 pi m^2.

STUDENT QUESTION:

Is the answer not 153.86 because you have multiply 49 and pi????

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

49 pi is exact and easier to connect to radius 7 (i.e., 49 is clearly the square

of 7) than the number 153.86 (you can't look at that number and see any

connection at all to 7).

You can't express the exact result with a decimal. If the radius is considered

exact, then only 49 pi is an acceptable solution.

If the radius is considered to be approximate to some degree, then it's

perfectly valid to express the result in decimal form, to an appropriate number

of significant figures.

153.86 is a fairly accurate approximation.

However it's not as accurate as it might seem, since you used only 3 significant

figures in your approximation of pi (you used 3.14). The first three figures in

your answer are therefore significant (though you need to round); the .86 in

your answer is pretty much meaningless.

If you round the result to 154 then the figures in your answer are significant

and meaningful.

Note that a more accurate approximation (though still just an approximation) to

49 pi is 153.93804. An approximation to 5 significant figures is 153.94, not

153.86.

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Question: `q011. What is the radius of circle whose area is 78 square meters?

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Your solution:

r=squart(78m^2/pi)=squart24.84..meters.=approx 5 meters

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Given Solution:

`aKnowing that A = pi r^2 we solve for r. We first divide both sides by pi to

obtain A / pi = r^2. We then reverse the sides and take the square root of both

sides, obtaining r = sqrt( A / pi ).

Note that strictly speaking the solution to r^2 = A / pi is r = +-sqrt( A / pi

), meaning + sqrt( A / pi) or - sqrt(A / pi). However knowing that r and A are

both positive quantities, we can reject the negative solution.

Now we substitute A = 78 m^2 to obtain

r = sqrt( 78 m^2 / pi) = sqrt(78 / pi) m.{}

Approximating this quantity to 2 significant figures we obtain r = 5.0 m.

STUDENT QUESTION

Why after all the squaring and dividing is the final product just meters and not

meters squared????

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

It's just the algebra of the units.

sqrt( 78 m^2 / pi) = sqrt(78) * sqrt(m^2) / sqrt(pi). The sqrt(78) / sqrt(pi)

comes out about 5.

The sqrt(m^2) comes out m.

This is a good thing, since radius is measured in meters and not square meters.

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Question: `q012. Summary Question 1: How do we visualize the area of a

rectangle?

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Your solution:

If you know the lenght and width for example 5 and 5 , imagine 5 squares going up and 5 squares going across, if you multiply these it will give you

the total number of squares inside without counting them .

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Given Solution:

`aWe visualize the rectangle being covered by rows of 1-unit squares. We

multiply the number of squares in a row by the number of rows. So the area is A

= L * W.

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Question: `q013. Summary Question 2: How do we visualize the area of a right

triangle?

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Your solution:

If you imagine a mirror image of the right triange joined to the other it is a rectangle , we can get the area of the rectangle and divide by 2 because

the right triangle is exactly half rectangle.

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Given Solution:

`aWe visualize two identical right triangles being joined along their common

hypotenuse to form a rectangle whose length is equal to the base of the triangle

and whose width is equal to the altitude of the triangle. The area of the

rectangle is b * h, so the area of each triangle is 1/2 * b * h.

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Question: `q014. Summary Question 3: How do we calculate the area of a

parallelogram?

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Your solution:

A parallelogram is just like a rectangle or square just pushed over a little ,if you have the altitude you multiply by lenght to get area,

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Given Solution:

`aThe area of a parallelogram is equal to the product of its base and its

altitude. The altitude is measured perpendicular to the base.

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Question: `q015. Summary Question 4: How do we calculate the area of a

trapezoid?

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Your solution:

you multiply the lenght by the average altitude(if you do not have you can average the hights out)to get the area.

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Given Solution:

`aWe think of the trapezoid being oriented so that its two parallel sides are

vertical, and we multiply the average altitude by the width.

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Question: `q016. Summary Question 5: How do we calculate the area of a circle?

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Your solution:

If you have the radius you use the formula A=pi r^2.

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Given Solution:

`aWe use the formula A = pi r^2, where r is the radius of the circle.

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Question: `q017. Summary Question 6: How do we calculate the circumference of a

circle? How can we easily avoid confusing this formula with that for the area of

the circle?

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Your solution:

Circumference=2* pi* r.single plane area is measured in squar units.

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Given Solution:

`aWe use the formula C = 2 pi r. The formula for the area involves r^2, which

will give us squared units of the radius. Circumference is not measured in

squared units.

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Question: `q018. Explain how you have organized your knowledge of the principles

illustrated by the exercises in this assignment.

If you know the formulas for area of rectangle,circles and the circumference you can manipulate them to get the area of shapes.

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