Question

Each side of the smaller square in the figure below is n inches long, and each side of the larger square is p inches longer than a side of the smaller square. The area of the larger square is how many square inches greater than the area of the smaller square?

Answer 1

Answer:

2np + p²

Step-by-step explanation:

The general formula for the area of a square is A = s², where s = the length of one side of the square.  In the case of the smaller square the area would be: n x n = n².  Since the side of the larger square is 'p' inches longer, the length of one side is 'n + p'.  To find the area of the larger square, we have to take the length x length or (n +p)².

Using FOIL (forward, outside, inside, last):

(n + p)(n+p) = n² + 2np + p²

Since the area of the first triangle is n², we can subtract this amount from the area of the larger square to find out how many square inches greater the larger square area is.

n² + 2np + p² - n² = 2np + p²