Area and the Distributive Property
Learning Objective
I can use the distributive property to find the area of a rectangle.
Key Concepts
The distributive property can be used to break apart a multiplication problem into simpler numbers to make it easier to solve.
To find the area of a rectangle using the distributive property, you can break one of the side lengths into two parts, then multiply the other side length by each of those parts and add the results.
When finding area, the answer is always in square units, such as square feet or square meters.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 3 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. A rectangle has a length of 6 feet and a width of 8 feet. Use the distributive property to break down the width into 5 feet and 3 feet. Write out the equation you would use to find the total area.
2. A garden is 7 meters wide and 11 meters long. You decide to split the length into two sections: one is 7 meters and the other is 4 meters. Which expression shows how to use the distributive property to find the total area of the garden?
3. A rectangular wall is 4 feet high and 16 feet long. Explain how you can use the distributive property to find the area of the wall by breaking the length of 16 feet into 10 feet and 6 feet.
Educational Video
Finding Area Using the Distributive Property | Area of Rectangles | Math with Mr. J
Math with Mr. J