Find the minimum and maximum possible areas of a rectangle measuring 2 km by 5 km

Step-by-step explanation:

Such questions generally arise in the context of measurement precision and/or accuracy. Apparently, we're to assume that these dimensions could be arrived at by rounding to the nearest km. In that case, they can be taken to have a possible error of ±0.5 km.

The minimum possible area is the product of the minimum possible dimensions: 1.5 km by 4.5 km = 6.75 km².

The maximum possible area is the product of the maximum possible dimensions: 2.5 km by 5.5 km = 13.75 km².

Comment on combining measurement values

You will note that the nominal area is 2 km by 5 km = 10 km², and that the middle value between the minimum and maximum is slightly more than this, at 10.25 km².

It is typically the case that when measurements are combined by operations other than addition and subtraction, the nominal result is different from the middle result in the range of possibilities.