How do I express 'a square' with a specific length of its side?

Question

How do I put articles and prepositions into the following expression, please?

A square with [a/the/nothing] side [of/with] [a/the/nothing] length [of/nothing] 42

In my native language (Slovak) it is common to use the genitive case in such situations, that's why "of" seems fine to me there.

What are the correct options here, please?

Perhaps personal taste, but I would not use "with a" twice. A square with a side of length ... or a 42 centimetre square. — djna, Commented Oct 31, 2018 at 15:09
You can also say "A square with a 42 {unit of measure} side" for real-world situations, not math, where unit of measure is an irrelevancy. — TimR, Commented Oct 31, 2018 at 20:20

Andrew · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-31 15:17:06Z

Cowper Kettle's suggestion of

A square with a side with a length of 42

is fine, but since all the sides are of the same length, you can also say

A square with sides of length 42 (centimeters).

or

A square, 42 (centimeters) on each side.

or

A square, 42 (centimeters) per side.

Side note (pun intended): For rectangles, where you have to define the lengths of two sides, it would be common to say:

A rectangle, 24 by 42 centimeters.

or written as:

A 24x42 rectangle.

Here the "x" is the symbol for mathematical multiplication. When spoken you would say, "24 by 42", as in the previous example.

Matt Cline · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-31 16:20:37Z

1

I would simply say "a 24-inch square".

answered Oct 31, 2018 at 16:20

Matt Cline

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