Answer:
To solve this problem, let's consider the original square before it was cut in half.
Let's assume the original square had side length "s" cm. Now, when the square is cut in half, it forms two rectangles. Since the original square was cut in half, each rectangle will have a width of s cm and a length of s/2 cm.
To find the combined perimeter of these two rectangles, we add up the perimeters of each rectangle. The perimeter of a rectangle is calculated by adding up all four sides. In this case, the perimeter of each rectangle is given by:
Perimeter of rectangle = 2(width + length) = 2(s + s/2) = 2(3s/2) = 3s cm.
Since the combined perimeter of the two rectangles is given as 24 cm, we can set up the following equation:
2(3s) = 24.
Simplifying the equation, we have:
6s = 24.
Dividing both sides of the equation by 6 gives us:
s = 4.
Therefore, the original square had a side length of 4 cm.
To find the perimeter of the original square, we simply multiply the side length by 4 (since a square has four equal sides):
Perimeter of original square = 4s = 4(4) = 16 cm.
So, the perimeter of the original square is 16 cm.