A white paper 2 inches wide is placed around a rectangular black paper with dimensions 8 inches by 12 inches. What is the area of the white paper, in square inches? Choose the most appropriate option.
A) 96 B) 196 C) 128 D) 144 E) 168
This question is an example of a 'punch out' question - we have to find the area of EVERYTHING, then 'punch out' the part that we don't want.   We're told that a white paper 2 inches wide is placed around a rectangular black paper with dimensions 8 inches by 12 inches. We're asked for the area of the frame, in square inches.   Area of a rectangle = (length)(width)   So the area of the black paper is... (8)(12) = 96   The white paper 'adds' 2 inches to the top, bottom, left and right 'sides' of the picture, so the area of EVERYTHING is...   (8+2+2)(12+2+2) = (12)(16) = 196   When we 'punch out' the area of the black paper, we'll be left with the area of the white paper:   192 - 96= 
<gadget id="calculator">192 - 96</gadget>
<output>96</output>
96   Final Answer:   196
<result>B</result>
A white paper 2 inches wide is placed around a rectangular black paper with dimensions 8 inches by 12 inches. What is the area of the white paper, in square inches?