A rectangular lawn 40 m long and 24 m wide has a gravel path 2.5 m wide running all round it on the outside. What is the area of the path?

166.25 m²Correct answerYour answer295 m²Correct answerYour answer320 m²Correct answerYour answer345 m²Correct answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer D

Correct answer: D

The outer rectangle measures $(40 + 2 \times 2.5)$ by $(24 + 2 \times 2.5) = 45$ m by 29 m, area 1,305 m².
The lawn is $40 \times 24 = 960$ m².
Path = $1{,}305 - 960 = 345$ m².

Worth noting

The width is added on BOTH sides, so each dimension grows by 5 m, not 2.5 m (that gives 166.25 m²). 295 m² is a path inside the lawn, and 320 m² (perimeter × width) misses the four corner squares.

Concept: Area of a path outside a rectangle
Typical timeTypical: 70 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsPerimeter and area

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Ten questions from Mensuration: Areas and Volumes, at your own pace.

A rectangular lawn 40 m long and 24 m wide has a gravel path 2.5 m wide running all round it on the outside. What is the area of the path?

Explanation