Final answer:
The landscape gardener is faced with a geometry problem in mathematics. If referring to a circular garden, the circumference would be measured to determine the 'edge.' For other garden shapes, a measuring tape and knowledge of geometry or algebra are used to find missing sides or lengths.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a landscape gardener needs to calculate the length of each edge of a circular garden bed, they are dealing with a geometry problem within mathematics. A circular garden does not have edges like a polygon, but it does have a circumference, which is the total distance around the circle. Since the question may be referring to the circumference as the 'edge' of the garden, we can calculate this using the formula C = 2πr, where C is the circumference and r is the radius of the circle.
For measuring actual lengths in a garden, such as the lengths of triangular or rectangular plots, a measuring tape is used, which can handle distances that are more than a few feet long. For instance, the dimensions of a garden plot could be measured with a measuring tape, which would provide the length and width necessary to find the perimeter or area.
In other cases, such as when a farmer measures the first three sides of a plot of land and calculates the fourth, algebra or geometry is used to determine the missing side. For example, if the sides of a rectangular plot are known, and are labeled A, B, and C, with D being the unknown, then the fourth side D can be calculated using the fact that opposite sides in a rectangle are equal. Therefore, if side A equals side C, then side B will be equal to the missing side D.