Which formula correctly gives the perimeter of a rectangle with length L and width W?

Which formula correctly gives the perimeter of a rectangle with length L and width W?

• A. P = L + W
• B. P = 4s
• C. P = 2L + 2W
• D. P = L^2 + W^2

Answer: (C)

Perimeter of a rectangle is the total distance around the shape, so you add up all four sides. A rectangle has two sides of length L and two sides of width W, giving P = L + L + W + W = 2L + 2W. This is the correct form because it accounts for every side exactly once. The other expressions don’t match the full boundary: L + W only adds two sides, 4s would apply to a square with side s, and L^2 + W^2 is the diagonal length from the Pythagorean theorem, not a perimeter.

Perimeter of a rectangle is the total distance around the shape, so you add up all four sides. A rectangle has two sides of length L and two sides of width W, giving P = L + L + W + W = 2L + 2W. This is the correct form because it accounts for every side exactly once.

The other expressions don’t match the full boundary: L + W only adds two sides, 4s would apply to a square with side s, and L^2 + W^2 is the diagonal length from the Pythagorean theorem, not a perimeter.