The area of the room is [tex]147\frac{1}{2}[/tex] square feet so Michelle's reasoning was incorrect.
Step-by-step explanation:
Step 1:
To calculate the area of the given room, we divide the unknown shape into known shapes.
The room's shape is made of 2 rectangles.
The area of a rectangle is the product of its length and its width.
One rectangle has a length of 10 feet and a width of [tex]12\frac{1}{2}[/tex] feet.
The other rectangle has a length of [tex]15-10=5[/tex] feet and a width of [tex]4\frac{1}{2}[/tex] feet.
Step 2:
The area of the first rectangle [tex]= (10)(12\frac{1}{2} )= (10)(12.5)= 125[/tex] square feet.
The area of the second rectangle [tex]= (10)(4\frac{1}{2} )= (5)(4.5)= 22.5[/tex] square feet.
The total area of the room [tex]= 125+22.5 = 147.5 = 147 \frac{1}{2}[/tex] square feet.
The area of the room is [tex]147\frac{1}{2}[/tex] square feet so Michelle's reasoning was incorrect.
