Directions: Calculate the area based on the given geometric parameters.

A square has a side length of 36 cm. What is the area of the square?

The correct answer is 1296 cm².

To calculate the area of a square, we use the fundamental geometric rule that all four sides of a square are equal in length and meet at right angles.

Step 1: Identify the given side length
The problem provides the side length of the square, which we denote as $s$:

$s=36$ cm

Step 2: Use the formula for the area of a square
The area ($A$) of a square is obtained by multiplying the length of a side by itself (squaring the side length):

$A=s^2$

Step 3: Perform the calculation
Substitute the given value of $s=36$ into the area formula:

$A={\left(36\right)}^2$

$A=36\times 36$

$A=1296$ cm²

Thus, the total area of the square is 1296 cm².