If I have a square and each side is .5 inches long, what is the area of the square? ?

Question

It just can't be that the area is .25, that makes absolutely no sense.

Answer 1

Yes, the answer is 0.25in^2, or a quarter of a square inch.  The interesting question is why it is counter-intuitive to you...why it "just can't be"!   And I think the answer is that you are expecting the product of two positive things, in this case, the area of a shape with two real, positive dimensions to be somehow More Substantial than either dimension, if that makes sense.

The solution is that while the two dimensions (0.5 inches) are one-dimensional in nature, the area (0.25 inches squared), is a two-dimensional volume.  In that regard, 0.25 in^2 is indeed "more than" 0.5". Try drawing the area on a grid.  Note that the 0.5" by 0.5" square really is only a quarter of a whole inch squared. The simple explanation is that you can't compare inches and square inches by how many there are.  It's apples and oranges.

Answer 2

yes, it is; since

(.5 in)^2 = (.5 in) (.5 in) = 0.25 sq in   (inches squared) is the answer.

Make sure you have the units as "inches squared).

Good Luck!

Answer 3

2 inches

Answer 4

The answer is .25 coz it does make sense..

.5 < .25

Answer 5

Well, it is actually 0.25 square inches.

Try it out. Draw a square with 0.5 inch side, and extend the sides to 1 inch each. You will see that the original square is just 1/4 if the larger square, which has an area of 1 square inch.

Answer 6

It makes perfect sense, actually. Visualize a 1x1 square with an area of 1 square inch. Now cut it in half vertically. Your area is now .5 square inches. Cut that in half horizontally, and you end up with a square that's 1/4th the size of the original square (or .25 square inches) and has sides half an inch long.

Answer 7

Yes it is correct.

you multiply

length x width

.5 x .5 = .25

.25 square inches.

Answer 8

well the sides are .5 inches so you would do .5 x .5 since the area of a square= lenght x width. when your multiplying the lenght and width your really multiplying the units as well. so its really .5in x .5in. to first you solve the numbers which would be .25 then the solve the inches which will be in squared. put them together and you have .25 inches squared. inches squared are 1 inch by 1 inch, which is bigger than a .5 inch.