Scaling and Units
An area cannot be equal to a length except relative to a particular unit of measurement. For example, if shape has an area of 5 square yards and a perimeter of 5 yards, then it has an area of 45 square feet (4.2 m2) and a perimeter of 15 feet (since 3 feet = 1 yard and hence 9 square feet = 1 square yard). Moreover, contrary to what the name implies, changing the size while leaving the shape intact changes an "equable shape" into a non-equable shape. However its common use as GCSE coursework has led to its being an accepted concept. For any shape, there is a similar equable shape: if a shape S has perimeter p and area A, then scaling S by a factor of p/A leads to an equable shape. Alternatively, one may find equable shapes by setting up and solving an equation in which the area equals the perimeter. In the case of the square, for instance, this equation is
Solving this yields that x = 4, so a 4 × 4 square is equable.
Read more about this topic: Equable Shape
Famous quotes containing the word units:
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