What does the -y- mean? here:

9y cm or 5y cm
This is for finding the area.

The "-y-" in this context is a variable used to represent an unknown value. In the given examples, "9y cm" and "5y cm" are expressions that represent the lengths of two sides. To find the area, we would typically need the lengths of both sides. However, since the lengths are expressed in terms of "y," we would need to know the value of "y" to calculate the area.

To find the specific value of "y," you would need more information from the problem or equation. It could be explicit information given in the exercise or a condition that provides a relationship between "y" and another quantity.

Once you have the value of "y," you can substitute it into the expressions for the lengths, calculate the lengths, and then use the lengths to find the area.