A rectangle has sides with integral lengths. The number of units in its perimeter is the same as the number of square units in its area. What are the dimensions of the rectangle? Assume L > W Perimeter = 2L + 2W Area = LW so Perimeter = Area or 2L + 2W = LW Solve for W LW - 2W = 2L W(L - 2) = 2L 2L W = ------- L - 2 Divide by long division: 2 + 4/(L-2) L - 2)2L + 0 2L - 4 4 so W = 2 + 4/(L-2) W - 2 = 4/(L-2) The left side is an integer, so the right side must be too. For 4/(L-2) to be an integer, L-2 must divide evenly into 4. The only positive integers which divide evenly into 4 are 1, 2, and 4 So L - 2 = 1 or 2 or 4, and therefore L = 3 or 4 or 6 If L = 3 then 2L 2(3) W = ------- = ------- = 6 L - 2 3 - 2 We will discard this answer since we assumed L > W If L = 4 then 2L 2(4) W = ------- = ------- = 4 L - 2 4 - 2 So one solution is L = 4 and W = 4, (a 4×4 square). If L = 6 then 2L 2(6) W = ------- = ------- = 3 L - 2 6 - 2 So one solution is L = 6 and W = 3 So there are two solutions, a 6×3 rectangle and a 4×4 square. Edwin