My question is: Mary is making a model sailboat. She wants to add three sails: a rectangular sail that measures 5 inches by 8 inches and two right triangular sails, one that's 3 inches long at the bottom and 4 inches tall and one that's 4 inches long at the bottom and 6 inches tall. (Remember you can find the area of a triangle by dividing the area of a square with the same height and length by 2). How many square inches of canvas does she need total? Your thoughts:
First find the area of the square sail: 5 inches * 8 inches = 40 square inches. Then find the area of a square sail with the same height and length as the first triangular sail: 3 inches * 4 inches = 12 square inches. Then divide the area in two to find the area of the triangular sail: 12 square inches / 2 = 6 square inches. Then find the area of a square sail with the same height and length as the second triangular sail: 4 inches * 6 inches = 24 square inches. Then divide the area in two to find the area of the triangular sail: 24 square inches / 2 = 12 square inches. Then add up the areas of all the sails to find the total amount of canvas needed: 12 square inches + 6 square inches + 40 square inches = 58 square inches. The final answer: 58.