A rectangle measures 14 by 12. Find its area.

Step-by-step solution

1. 1

   Identify the two dimensions. For a rectangle written as $14 \times 12$, the length is $14$ and the width is $12$. Which one is called "length" does not affect the area, since multiplication is commutative.

2. 2

   Apply the area formula.

   $A = \text{length} \times \text{width} = 14 \times 12$

3. 3

   Multiply. Splitting the $12$ makes the arithmetic easy mentally:

   $14 \times 12 = 14 \times 10 + 14 \times 2 = 140 + 28 = 168$

4. 4

   State the answer with units. The area is $168$ square units — area is always in squared units because two lengths were multiplied together.

5. 5

   Contrast with the perimeter. If the perimeter were wanted instead, it would be $2(14 + 12) = 52$ units. A common error is to give one when the other is asked for; the units are the giveaway, since perimeter stays in plain length units.