If two identical squares are placed side by side to form a rectangle, the perimeter of each square is given as 52 cm. Since the squares are identical, each side of the square has a perimeter of 52 cm / 4 = 13 cm.
Now, to find the area of one of the squares, you can square the length of one side:
Area of one square = Side length × Side length
Area of one square = 13 cm × 13 cm = 169 square cm
Since you have two identical squares forming the rectangle, you can simply multiply the area of one square by 2 to find the total area of the entire rectangle:
Total area of the rectangle = 2 × Area of one square
Total area of the rectangle = 2 × 169 square cm = 338 square cm
So, the area of the entire rectangle is 338 square centimeters.