To determine the area covered by 4 parallelogram-shaped paving stones, we first need to understand the dimensions of each stone. If we have a single paving stone shaped like a rectangle, we can calculate its area and then multiply by the number of stones.
Let’s use the dimensions you provided: a single paving stone has dimensions of 5 inches by 8 inches.
The area \( A \) of one rectangle can be calculated using the formula:
\[ A = \text{length} \times \text{width} \]
Substituting the values we have:
\[ A = 5 , \text{inches} \times 8 , \text{inches} = 40 , \text{square inches} \]
Since we need to find the total area covered by 4 paving stones, we multiply the area of one stone by 4:
\[ \text{Total area} = 4 \times 40 , \text{square inches} = 160 , \text{square inches} \]
Therefore, the area covered by 4 paving stones is:
160 square inches.