The sides of a square are 2^4/9 inches long. what is the area of the square?

A. 2^16/81 square inches

B. 4^16/81 square inches

C. 2^8/9 square inches

D. 4^8/9 square inches

The area of a square is the length of a side times itself:

2_4/9 * 2_4/9

Mixed numbers cannot be multiplied, so first convert to improper fractions:

(9*2) + 4 = 18+4 = 22/9

22/9 * 22/9

Multiply straight across:

(22*22) / (9*9) = 484/81

Now turn this into a mixed number:

81 goes into 484 five times with 79 left over:

5_79/81 square inches

Since this is not one of the answer choices, I'm wondering if the given length of the side of the square is incorrect?