Thread: Squares

Consider a rectangle units long, and units wide and the unit squares found in it. A diagonal is drawn from one corner to the opposite. The diagonal cuts through certain unit squares. Find in terms of and the number of unit squares that are cut through.

Originally Posted by usagi_killer

Consider a rectangle units long, and units wide and the unit squares found in it. A diagonal is drawn from one corner to the opposite. The diagonal cuts through certain unit squares. Find in terms of and the number of unit squares that are cut through.

Isn't it half of the area of the rectangle?
Number of units squares= lw/2

JoanF is correct.

If you think about it, the AREA of the rectangle is . If you draw a diagonal line through the rectangle, you are effectively cutting the rectangle in half.

Therefore, the area is divided by 2, i.e.