Answer
The perimeter of the rectangle is \(15\frac{2}{3}\)
Explanation
To solve this, we are going to use the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle:
\(P=2(w+l)\)
where
\(P\) is the perimeter of the rectangle
\(w\) is the width of the rectangle
\(l\) is the length of the rectangle
We can infer from our problem the the shorter strips are \(2\frac{1}{2}\) inches, so \(w=2\frac{1}{2}\). That leaves us with \(l=5\frac{1}{3}\). Let's replace those values in our formula to find \(P\):
\(P=2(w+l)\)
\(P=2(2\frac{1}{2}+5\frac{1}{3})\)
\(P=2(\frac{5}{2} +\frac{16}{3} )\)
\(P=2(\frac{47}{6} )\)
\(P=\frac{47}{3}\)
\(P=15\frac{2}{3}\)
