A vegetable garden and a surrounding path are shaped like a square that together are 12 ft wide. The path is 2 feet wide. The the total area of the path.

80 ft²

Step-by-step explanation:

The area of the path is equal to the area of the overall square minus the area of the garden.

Area of a square is the side length squared:

A = s²

The overall square has a side length of 12 feet. The side length of the garden is 12 - 2 - 2 = 8 feet. So the area of the path is:

A = 12² - 8²

A = 144 - 64

A = 80

The area of the path is 80 ft².