Question

For this problem what I did was add all the measurements and I got 48 m. However, it is wrong. How do I go about solving the perimeter then?

Answer 1

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Answer:

  66 m

Step-by-step explanation:

The perimeter is the sum of the measures of all of the sides. There are two side measures that are missing from the diagram.

The missing horizontal measure is ...

  17 m - 8 m = 9 m

The missing vertical measure is ...

  16m -7 m = 9 m.

If you add these to the sum you already calculated, you will get the correct answer:

  48 m + 9 m + 9 m = 66 m . . . perimeter of the figure

_____

If you're paying attention, you see that the sum of the measures of the two shorter horizontal segments is the same as the measure of the longer horizontal segment. Likewise, the sum of the measurements of the two shorter vertical segments is the same as that of the longer vertical segment.

In other words, the perimeter of this (and any) L-shaped figure is the same as the perimeter of a rectangle having the same horizontal and vertical dimensions as the long sides of the figure.

  P = 2(17 m +16 m) = 2(33 m) = 66 m