What is the formula for the area of a room or cage?

What is the formula for the area of a room or cage?

• A. area = length x width x height
• B. area = length x width
• C. area = length squared x width squared
• D. area = length ÷ width

Answer: (B)

The amount of flat space a rectangular room or cage covers is found by multiplying its length by its width. Height isn’t involved in area because area describes a two-dimensional surface, not a three-dimensional volume. So area = length × width gives the correct measure of floor space. The other ideas either bring in height (which would be volume), multiply the dimensions in a way that isn’t how area is defined (length squared times width squared), or use a division that yields a ratio, not an area.

The amount of flat space a rectangular room or cage covers is found by multiplying its length by its width. Height isn’t involved in area because area describes a two-dimensional surface, not a three-dimensional volume. So area = length × width gives the correct measure of floor space. The other ideas either bring in height (which would be volume), multiply the dimensions in a way that isn’t how area is defined (length squared times width squared), or use a division that yields a ratio, not an area.