write a factored expression to represent area of metal plate around dials..

[rivriv0]

I don't know if this is the right place to post it, but I'm basically doing a problem on the common factors (5.2 of Mathematics 10 by McGraw-Hill Ryerson, question 14) in which I have to "write a factored expression to represent the area of the metal plate around the dials, shaded in grey." So, there's 4 squares grouped up together to form the "metal plate"(so basically a rectangle), and there are four circles in the metal plate, which are basically the dials. I can't get my mind around to complete this question, there's no lengths or widths. I basically started by doing 4(r^2) - 4(πr^2) and now I don't know where to go.

 

[Dr.Peterson]

I don't know if this is the right place to post it, but I'm basically doing a problem on the common factors (5.2 of Mathematics 10 by McGraw-Hill Ryerson, question 14) in which I have to "write a factored expression to represent the area of the metal plate around the dials, shaded in grey." So, there's 4 squares grouped up together to form the "metal plate"(so basically a rectangle), and there are four circles in the metal plate, which are basically the dials. I can't get my mind around to complete this question, there's no lengths or widths. I basically started by doing 4(r^2) - 4(πr^2) and now I don't know where to go.

Can you post a picture of the problem, or give a fuller description? Your expression suggests that the side of each square is the same as the radius of each circle, which doesn't make sense. They shouldn't both be r.

Do they give variable names or expressions for any lengths in the picture?

In any case, it looks like the correct expression for the area can be factored as a difference of squares, which would be the main point of the problem.