gosper.org/textbooksleaze.png Prob 13 clearly wants you to add the two rectangles, which, in light of the slanted southern border, is clearly inferior to simply neglecting the panhandle. But it isn't if you use their numbers and compare with http://www.city-data.com/states/Oklahoma-Location-size-and-extent.html ! "The total area of Oklahoma is 69,956 sq mi (181,186 sq km), of which land takes up 68,655 sq mi (177,817 sq km) and inland water 1,301 sq mi (3,369 sq km). Oklahoma extends 464 mi (747 km) E-W including the panhandle in the NW, which is about 165 mi (266 km) long. The maximum N-S extension is 230 mi (370 km)." This is because the textbook shaves 2 mi off the actual width and 8 mi off the actual height of the non-panhandle! This reduces its area by half the area of the panhandle. But since the total area is easier to research than the actual dimensions, poor Johnny will probably get shot down for eyeballing the truth. A big boost for his self doubt. --rwg