Three figures made with rubber bands are shown on a geoboard. The gray square in the lower-right corner represents one unit square.
a) Find the area of Figures A, B, and C in square units.
b) Which figure has the greatest area?

Hints
- Count the unit squares inside each figure.
- You may split a figure into smaller rectangles or subtract a missing rectangle from a larger one.
- Compare the three areas.
Solution
1. Figure A can be split into a vertical rectangle with area \(3\) square units and a horizontal rectangle with area \(2\) square units. Its total area is \(3 + 2 = 5\) square units.
2. Figure B can be split into a vertical rectangle with area \(2\) square units and a horizontal rectangle with area \(3\) square units. Its total area is \(2 + 3 = 5\) square units.
3. Figure C is a \(3 \times 3\) square with a \(1 \times 2\) rectangle removed. Its area is \(9 - 2 = 7\) square units.
4. Figure C has the greatest area.
Answer
a) Figure A: \(5\) square units
Figure B: \(5\) square units
Figure C: \(7\) square units
b) Figure C has the greatest area.