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Question P4–P5–P6 Overlap and cancel

Five semicircles on a line — the diameter

Five identical semicircles sit on one straight line — three above it, two below.

Five identical semicircles on one straight line, three above it and two below. The five marked gaps are given. The drawing is not to scale.22 cm12 cm16 cm12 cm22 cm

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About this method

Overlap and cancel

Two shapes share a region, and the shared part cancels out.

In this one. Cancel the shared overlap: what is left of two equal lengths must be equal too.

Counted twiceA + Bgroup Athe two in bothgroup Bthe same two againCounted oncetake the shared part offin all5 + 4 − 2 = 7

How to spot it

Shapes are joined, stacked, or have a piece cut off, and the question compares a perimeter or length before and after, rather than asking for an area from scratch.

Common mistake

Children assume perimeter changes the same way area does. Joining shapes or cutting off a corner can leave the perimeter unchanged, or change it by a different amount from the area.

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