Final answer:
To find the perimeter of a triangle, add together the lengths of all three sides. If the triangle is right-angled, the Pythagorean theorem can be used to find unknown side lengths. Units of measurement are critical, and precision may be indicated by using significant figures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating the Perimeter of a Triangle
To find the perimeter of a triangle, we simply add the lengths of its three sides. If the question specifies the lengths, then it's a matter of summing up those numbers. If not, we may need to use other given information, such as the lengths of a rectangle if the triangle is half of the rectangle, or use the Pythagorean theorem for right triangles to find the lengths of the sides if the triangle has a right angle and we know two of its sides.
For a right triangle, the Pythagorean theorem states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. For the corresponding city blocks example, where one side is 9 blocks and the other is 5 blocks, the hypotenuse would be the square root of (9 blocks)² + (5 blocks)², which equals 10.3 blocks.
The example of the town square indicates a misuse of terminology - squares have equal sides, and the question should refer to a rectangle instead. For a rectangle, the perimeter P can be calculated by doubling the sum of its length l and width w, hence P = 2l + 2w. If a square was actually meant, then each of the four sides would be the same length, and the perimeter would be four times that length.
Units are essential in these calculations; perimeter is measured in linear units such as meters, whereas area is measured in square units such as square meters, and volume in cubic units such as cubic meters. Consequently, knowing the correct unit of measurement helps ensure that perimeter, area, and volume are correctly derived and reported.
Lastly, when dealing with measurements and calculations, significant figures must be considered. As stated in the instruction, discrete numbers should be presented accurately to reflect the precision of the calculation, while keeping in mind the rules of significant figures.