Please, help. People refer to the dimensions of things as ''2 by 4'' etc. I can't tell if the length dimension is vertical (up and down) or horizontal (side to side).

Belen Moses

Belen Moses

Open question

2022-08-20

Please, help. People refer to the dimensions of things as ''2 by 4'' etc. I can't tell if the length dimension is vertical (up and down) or horizontal (side to side).

Answer & Explanation

Marley Abbott

Marley Abbott

Beginner2022-08-21Added 4 answers

Some students will sometimes use length=2, width=4, and sometimes use length=4, width=2. Of course, the area is 8 either way.
musouorochidf

musouorochidf

Beginner2022-08-22Added 2 answers

I think ''length'' and ''width'' are ambiguous. You can say Area = (base)x(height) or Area = (width)x(height). For 3-dimensions, use Volume = (width)x(height)x(depth) or Volume = (length)x(height)x(depth) to avoid ambiguity.

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