Question

Avneet buys 9 square paving slabs, each with a side of m. He lays them in the form of a square.

(a) What is the perimeter of his arrangement [figure (i)]?

(b) Shari does not like his arrangement. She gets him to lay them out like a cross. What is the perimeter of her arrangement [figure (ii)]?

(c) Which has greater perimeter?

(d) Avneet wonders if there is a way of getting an even greater perimeter. Can you find a way of doing this? (The paving slabs must meet along complete edges i.e. they cannot be broken.)

Answer 1

(a) Side of square =

Perimeter of square =

(b) Perimeter of cross = 0.5 + 1 + 1 + 0.5 + 1 + 1 + 0.5 + 1 + 1

+ 0.5 + 1 + 1 = 10 m

(c) The arrangement in the form of a cross has a greater perimeter.

(d) Arrangements with perimeters greater than 10 m cannot be determined.