Two rectangular mats have areas 120 cm² and 135 cm². They overlap by 5 cm². What is the total covered area?
Note
Add both areas, then subtract the overlap once: 120+135−5 = 250 cm². For a shaded or remaining part, find each simple area first, then subtract the part that is removed. The overlap is counted in both individual areas, so it must be subtracted once. This prevents double-counting the shared part and gives the actual total covered area.
