SOLUTION: In a figure, each circle has a radius of 10cm. Eight such circles are fit into a rectangle. Find the area of the rectangle?

Question 1096930: In a figure, each circle has a radius of 10cm. Eight such circles are fit into a rectangle. Find the area of the rectangle?
Answer by greenestamps(13200) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

The problem is not clearly defined. The circles might all be in a row, making the rectangle containing them have dimensions 160x20, making the area 3200. Or there could be 2 rows of 4 circles each, making the dimensions 80x40, again making the area 3200.

It makes sense that the two answers are the same, because both arrangements result in the same amount of empty space around each circle.

You could stagger the rows and make two rows of 3 circles each with a row of 2 in between; but the increase in width with that arrangement is greater than the decrease in length, so the area with that arrangement is greater.

So I suspect the answer is supposed to be 3200 square cm.... But since the problem is not well defined, we can't be sure.
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