A sowing plot for rye has a rectangular shape. As part of the restructuring of the collective farm lands, one side of the plot was increased by $20\%$, and the other side was reduced by $20\%$. Will the rye yield change as a result, and if so, by how much?
Let $a$ and $b$ be the original sides of the rectangle. The new area is equal to $1.2 a \cdot 0.8 b = 0.96 a b$, which means the area has decreased by $4\%$.

## Answer

It will decrease by $4\%$.