Count the number of squares in the figure below.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → 8
The figure is a grid of 3 × 2 small squares. A square of side \(k\) small squares can start at \(4-k\) places across and \(3-k\) places down.
1 × 1 squares: \(3\times2=6\)
2 × 2 squares: \(2\times1=2\)
Total \(=6+2=8\) squares.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) 14 — Incorrect. This uses the count for a square grid of 3 × 3, but the grid is 3 × 2.
Option (2) 5 — Incorrect. This uses the count for a square grid of 2 × 2, but the grid is 3 × 2.
Option (4) 18 — Incorrect. This is the number of all rectangles in the grid; most of them are not squares.