Answer:
To determine the amount of fencing Ms. Bell needs to purchase for her four-legged friends' new square fence, we first need to calculate the length of each side of the square. Since a square has all sides equal in length, we can find this value by taking the square root of the suggested minimum area.
The suggested minimum area for the dogs is given as 289 square feet. Taking the square root of 289, we find that each side of the square fence should measure 17 feet (sqrt(289) = 17).
Now that we know the length of one side, we can calculate the perimeter of the square by multiplying this value by 4 (since a square has four equal sides). Therefore, Ms. Bell needs to purchase 68 feet of fencing in total (17 feet x 4 sides = 68 feet).
In summary, Ms. Bell needs to purchase 68 feet of fencing to create the smallest fenced area for her four-legged friends.
Explanation: