The total area of both shaded and unshaded portions is equal to , which simplifies to . The area of the middle white portion is , which simplifies to . To find the area of the shaded portion, we do . Combining like terms, we get as our expression for the area of the shaded portion of the first rectangle.
<u><em>For the second one:</em></u>
The total area of both shaded and unshaded portions is equal to , which simplifies to . The area of the middle white portion is , which simplifies to . To find the area of the shaded portion, we do . Combining like terms, we get as our expression for the area of the shaded portion of the second rectangle.