04-28-2016, 03:35 PM
Maybe the typo is that the perimeter should be 50 inches.
sides 2 x 12 and 2 x 13
area 12 x 13 = 156
In other words, the actual problem your child was given was this:
If the sides of a rectangle are all whole numbers, and one side cannot be less than 12 inches, what must the perimeter of the rectangle be if there is to be only one unique value for the area?
50 inches is the only unambiguous version I can come up with -- 52 inches could be either 13 x 13 or 12 x 14, etc.
As phrased, this was NOT a 3rd grade math problem, and the teacher is really bad at proofreading the assignments.
sides 2 x 12 and 2 x 13
area 12 x 13 = 156
In other words, the actual problem your child was given was this:
If the sides of a rectangle are all whole numbers, and one side cannot be less than 12 inches, what must the perimeter of the rectangle be if there is to be only one unique value for the area?
50 inches is the only unambiguous version I can come up with -- 52 inches could be either 13 x 13 or 12 x 14, etc.
As phrased, this was NOT a 3rd grade math problem, and the teacher is really bad at proofreading the assignments.