How many feet around a 20 acre rectangle?

Answer 1

208

Answer 2

There is no definitive answer for this question. There are actually an infinite number of valid answers, depending completely on the proportions of the 20-acre rectangle.

The shortest possible distance around a 20-acre rectangle is 3,733.52 feet; in this case the rectangle is actually a square that is 933.38 feet on a side. Every other possible rectangle would have a longer circumference.

Examples

• A rectangle that measures 500 feet by 1,742.4 feet would enclose 20 acres; it would have a circumference of 4,484.8 feet.
• A rectangle that measures 200 feet by 4,356 feet would enclose 20 acres; it would have a circumference of 9,112 feet.
• A rectangle that measures 50 feet by 17,424 feet would enclose 20 acres; it would have a circumference of 34,948 feet.

As these examples illustrate, the distance around the 20-acre rectangle increases dramatically as the rectangle becomes farther from square. In fact, the upper limit of the circumference would be defined as "approaches infinity" as the short sides of the rectangle approach zero in length.