Shaping the Enviorment

Background: The Environmental Awareness Club is going to place a garden on the front lawn of the school. Henry suggests a garden in the shape of a square.  Theresa suggests a rectangular shape.

1. Henry’s plans include a square garden with an area of ( ) m². Write expressions for the length and width of the square garden.

2. A drawing of the square garden shows a length of 12 m. What is the width of the square garden? What is the value of x? What is the total area of the square garden?

3. Theresa’s plans include a rectangular garden with an area of ( ) m². Write expressions for the length and width of the rectangular garden.

4. A drawing of the rectangular garden shows that the length is 6 m longer than the length of the square garden. What is the width of the rectangular garden? How much shorter is the width of the rectangular garden than the square garden?

5. Find the perimeter of each garden in terms of x.

6. Which garden plan covers the most area? Which garden plan requires the least fencing around it?