drhomler wrote:The say it reads to me is that the area of the frame and the are of the picture is the same therfore 15*18=15*18

In the above example, you're comparing two identical rectangles. In the question's case, one rectangle lies inside the other, so you have to modify the equation a bit.

Area of the frame should be the area of the total thing -- picture and the frame (15*18 ) -- MINUS the picture itself, which would give you the area of shaded part (the frame).

So, if you give l for the length of the picture (the inside rectangle) and w for the length of the picture your equation should be set up as:

lw = ( 15x18 ) - lw
2lw = 270
lw = 135 = area of the picture

so if area of the picture is 135, then area of the frame is also 135.

OR, an easier way to think about it is, if the two combined areas (picture and frame) is 18*15 = 270, and the areas of the two equal to each other, then it must be 270/2 =135 for both the picture and the frame.

Thanks-that question is definitely not very clear to me, but your explanation helps.

im trying to understand the computations for the solution and its not clicking for some reason! can someone explain (in infant terms) the way to approach the computations for this?

resilient wrote:im trying to understand the computations for the solution and its not clicking for some reason! can someone explain (in infant terms) the way to approach the computations for this?

I have to agree. The wording on this problem is so ambiguous that I cannot seem to get past it.

"The frame encloses a rectangular picture that has the same area as the frame itself"...I do not understand how to interpret this any other way than the frame and picture have the SAME area??