1. **State the problem:** We need to find an expression for the area of a rectangular field. 2. **Given:** The length of the field is $4x + 2$ meters. 3. The width is 2 meters shorter than the length, so width $= (4x + 2) - 2$. 4. Simplify the width: $$\text{width} = 4x + 2 - 2 = 4x$$ 5. The area $A$ of a rectangle is given by the formula: $$A = \text{length} \times \text{width}$$ 6. Substitute the expressions for length and width: $$A = (4x + 2) \times 4x$$ 7. Multiply out the terms: $$A = 4x \times (4x + 2) = 4x \times 4x + 4x \times 2 = 16x^2 + 8x$$ **Final answer:** $$A = 16x^2 + 8x$$