Final answer:
Jaycee needs 160 inches of wire to make a regular octagon, and the perimeter of an octagon is proportional to the side length, increasing or decreasing proportionally as the side length changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jaycee wants to make a regular octagon with a side length of 20 inches using wire. To find out how much wire she needs, you would calculate the perimeter of the octagon. The perimeter of an octagon is the sum of all its eight sides. Since it is a regular octagon, all sides are equal, and thus the perimeter is 8 times the length of one side.
To calculate the perimeter (P) of an octagon with a side length (s) of 20 inches:
- P = 8 × s
- P = 8 × 20 inches
- P = 160 inches
So, Jaycee needs 160 inches of wire to make the octagon. Yes, the perimeter is proportional to the side length because as the length of one side increases or decreases, the total perimeter will increase or decrease proportionally.