Final answer:
The area of the new square is 100 cm².
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the area of the new square, we need to calculate the length of its side. The problem states that each side of the square is increased by 2 cm. Since the original square has a side length of 8 cm, the new square will have a side length of 8 cm + 2 cm = 10 cm. To find the area of the new square, we square the length of its side: 10 cm x 10 cm = 100 cm².