what is the area of an equilateral...

[gmatters]

Guide 4, Geo, prob set 8, page 39

I was confused by the problem's wprding and I assumed that total of side is 8, since the word "each" was not included. How can I make the diference between each situation?

thanks

[tim]

Please post the entire problem so everyone can benefit from the explanation.

[gmatters]

OK, there you go: "what is the area of an equilateral triangle whose sides measure 8 cm long?"

Again, I assumed that the total length of ALL sides was 8 cm as opposed to length of EACH side being 8 cm.

Thanks

[georgepa]

I read it as 8cm each side:

But since you have the strategy guide - the solution should have made that clear.

The takeaway is this key
Area of equilateral triangle with side of s = s^2 x sqrt[3] / 4

[RonPurewal]

You have a point, but the default interpretation of this statement -- even with "sides" written as a plural -- is in line with ours.

For instance, imagine that I'm going to go shopping at a store where "T-shirts cost $10", or where "oranges cost 39 cents". I think you, along with just about everyone else, would immediately understand that each T-shirt costs $10, and that each orange costs 39 cents.

These things will almost certainly be spelled out in greater detail on the official exam, but, if they aren't, just construct an analogous situation from real life (like the two I gave above) and think about what the same phrasing would mean.