Two rectangular mats have areas 56 cm² and 66 cm². They overlap by 5 cm². What is the total covered area?
Note
Add both areas, then subtract the overlap once: 56+66−5 = 117 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.
