Help with Grandson's 6th grade Geometry

[sharonsmith59]

We are falling apart with this problem.
There is an octagon, a stop sign.

The dimensions given are:
10 on the top side, bottom side, left and right so...10 on 4 sides
7 on the corners, 7 on 4 corners.

What is the area in inches? I am stumped. Thank you in advance for your help.

Respectfully,

NC Nana

 

[stapel]

We are falling apart with this problem.
There is an octagon, a stop sign.

The dimensions given are:
10 on the top side, bottom side, left and right so...10 on 4 sides
7 on the corners, 7 on 4 corners.

What is the area in inches?

We have learned, from hard experience, that attempting to "speak" through a "translator" who doesn't "know the language" is doomed to failure. So please have the student reply with his understanding of the exercise. For instance, what has he learned about 45-45-90 triangles, especially with respect to the lengths of their legs, given the length of their hypotenuse? What does he know about finding the area of a triangle, given the lengths of the base and the width? What does he know about finding the area of a square? How has he tried to use this information?

Please have him be complete. Thank you!

 

[Ron Spain]

Find the area of the smallest square that can contain the octagon. We just need to get rid of the corners, so subtract the area of those triangles.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

We are falling apart with this problem.
There is an octagon, a stop sign.

The dimensions given are:
10 on the top side, bottom side, left and right so...10 on 4 sides
7 on the corners, 7 on 4 corners.

What is the area in inches? I am stumped. Thank you in advance for your help.

Respectfully,

NC Nana

First of all, it is great that you are helping your grandson. But please do not spoon-feed him - let him ask his questions (with your guidance).

Second, area is calculated in "square inches" not inches. That throws a doubt towards the exactness of the translated problem.

Please tell your grandson to post the EXACT problem - and his thoughts about solving the problem (very important). That will let us know where do we begin to help him.