Final answer:
The area of the figure that covers 13 squares, with each square being 1 meter per side, is 13 square meters. Statement D, stating that the area is less than 16 square meters, is correct. The perimeter cannot be determined without more information about the shape of the figure. The correct option is: Correct Option: A. The perimeter of the figure is greater than 12 meters.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which statements correctly describe the figure on the grid, we need to calculate its perimeter and area. The student mentioned that each square has side lengths of 1 meter, and the figure covers 13 squares.
For the area, since the figure covers 13 squares and each square is 1 meter by 1 meter, the area of the figure is 13 square meters. Therefore, statement D (The area of the figure is less than 16 square meters) is correct, and statement E (The area of the figure is greater than 16 square meters) is incorrect.
The perimeter of the figure depends on the shape of the figure. However, the least perimeter that can enclose an area is that of a circle. Since the figure is on a grid, it will not be a perfect circle, and thus its perimeter will be greater than the circumference of a circle covering 13 squares. Importantly, a perimeter cannot be inferred directly just by knowing the area for irregular shapes.
Nevertheless, without additional information about the shape, we cannot definitively answer statements A (The perimeter of the figure is greater than 12 meters), B (The perimeter of the figure is less than 12 meters), or C (The perimeter of the figure is 12 meters). The correct option is: Correct Option: A. The perimeter of the figure is greater than 12 meters.