<u>Answer:</u>
a) Steven is incorrect.
b) Steven is incorrect, because he claims that, in other words, 15 units squared = 18 units squared. 18 > 15, so the statement that 15 = 18 is false. 15 does not equal 18.
<u>Step-by-step explanation:</u> Steven claims that the area of rectangle A is double the area of square B. The area of rectangle A is 15 units squared, because you get a product of 15 when you multiply the side lengths 5 and 3. The area of square B is 9 units squared, because you get a product of 9 when you multiply the side lengths 3 and 3. In other words, Steven is claiming that the area of rectangle A is not 15 units squared, but 18 units squared (this is double the area of square B, as 18 is the product of 9 and 2), and that statement is false, because we know that 18 > 15. Therefore, 18 cannot equal 15; the figure that is made from the value of double the area of square B (18 units squared) is larger than rectangle A (15 units squared) - this reinforces the fact that 18 > 15, and hence cannot be equal to 15.
