Question

which do you think would seat more people a 4ft by 6 ft rectangular table or a circular table with a diameter of 6 ft? How many people would sit at each table? Explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

To determine which seating arrangement would be able to seat more people you will find the distance around each table.

For the rectangle, you will find the perimeter:

P = 2l + 2w
   2 x 6 + 2 x 4
P = 20 feet

For the circle you will find the circumference:

C = pi x d
      3.14 x 6
C = 18.84 feet

The rectangle would seat more people because the distance around the table is longer.

You would be able to fit about 7-8 people around the rectangular table and 6-7 people around the circular table.