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?