Area of a Path Surrounding a Garden

Consider a rectangular garden that has a length of 12 meters and a width of 5 meters. A path that is 1 meter wide surrounds the garden. Calculate the total area of the path surrounding the garden.

To find the total area of the path, first, determine the dimensions of the garden including the path. The length of the garden plus the width of the path on both ends will be: $$12 + 2(1) = 14$$ meters. The width of the garden including the path will be: $$5 + 2(1) = 7$$ meters. Now calculate the area of the entire plot including the path and then subtract the area of just the garden.