Two rectangles have the same perimeter of 24 cm. One of them is 8 cm by 4 cm. Give the dimensions of a different rectangle with the same perimeter, and compare the areas of the two rectangles.

Answer: A different rectangle with the same perimeter of 24 cm could have dimensions of 10 cm by 2 cm. The area of the first rectangle is 32 cm 2^2, and the area of the second rectangle is 20 cm 2^2. The first rectangle has a larger area.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Calculate the perimeter of the first rectangle

The perimeter of a rectangle is calculated using the formula P=2(l+w)P = 2(l + w), where ll is the length and ww is the width. For the first rectangle, the given dimensions are l1=8 cml_1 = 8 \text{ cm} and w1=4 cmw_1 = 4 \text{ cm}.

Step 2: Verify the perimeter of the first rectangle

Substitute the given length and width into the perimeter formula. This confirms that the perimeter of the first rectangle is indeed 24 cm24 \text{ cm}, as stated in the problem.

Step 3: Find dimensions of a different rectangle with the same perimeter

We need to find a different pair of length and width, l2l_2 and w2w_2, such that their sum is 12 cm12 \text{ cm} (since 2(l2+w2)=24 cm2(l_2 + w_2) = 24 \text{ cm}). We can choose any two positive numbers that add up to 12, as long as they are different from 8 and 4. For example, we can choose l2=10 cml_2 = 10 \text{ cm} and w2=2 cmw_2 = 2 \text{ cm}.

Step 4: Calculate the area of the first rectangle

The area of a rectangle is calculated by multiplying its length and width. For the first rectangle, the area is 8 cm×4 cm8 \text{ cm} \times 4 \text{ cm}.

Step 5: Calculate the area of the second rectangle

For the second rectangle with dimensions l2=10 cml_2 = 10 \text{ cm} and w2=2 cmw_2 = 2 \text{ cm}, its area is 10 cm×2 cm10 \text{ cm} \times 2 \text{ cm}.

Step 6: Compare the areas

Comparing the areas, 32 cm232 \text{ cm}^2 for the first rectangle and 20 cm220 \text{ cm}^2 for the second rectangle, we see that the first rectangle has a larger area.

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