Question

A rectangle has a width of 2.45 feet and a length of 6.5 feet. How will the area of the rectangle change if each side is increased by a factor of 5?

Answer 1

"Increased by a factor of 5" means multiply by 5. So the length and width are each multiplied by 5, then the new length is multiplied by the new width to get the new area. Since both components increase by a factor of 5, you have to multiply both increases. 5 x 5 = 25. That is how much the area will change.