How do you calculate the area in square feet?

To calculate the area in square feet, the correct approach is to multiply the length by the width. This method stems from the geometric principle that area represents the extent of a two-dimensional surface. When you multiply the two dimensions—length and width—you obtain the total space contained within those boundaries.

For example, if you have a rectangle where the length is 10 feet and the width is 5 feet, by multiplying these two measurements (10 feet * 5 feet), you determine that the area is 50 square feet. This formula applies to rectangular spaces, which are common in various real estate and construction applications.

Choosing the multiplication of length and width contrasts with other methods offered. Simply adding, dividing, or subtracting these values does not yield the useful measure of area. Instead of providing a measurement of space, those operations would lead to different mathematical outcomes that do not correspond to calculating area. Thus, multiplying these measurements is the fundamental approach used in geometry to assess the size of flat surfaces effectively.