A rectangle is formed by placing two identical squares side by side

The perimeter of the rectangle is 72 cm.

What is the total area of the squares?

288 cm^2

Step-by-step explanation:

If you have 2 congruent squares, side by side, the perimeter is 6*sidelength.

We divide 72 by 6 to find sidelength, and get 12.

We square 12 to find the area of a square, and get 144.

Multiply by 2 to find the area of the rectangle, and get 288 cm^2

Answer: is 162 cm^2.

explanation:

divide the perimeter of the rectangle by 2. 72/2 = 36. 36 cm is the perimeter of one square.

divide 36 by 4. this will give you the side length of the square. 9 cm is the side length of one square.

now use the area formula to find the area of the square. multiply the side length by the side length. 9 x 9 = 81 cm^2.

81 is the area of one square, but since there are two squares, multiply 81 x 2.

you get 162 cm^2.