SOLUTION: I am trying to find a way to solve this problem. A gravel path of equal width is to be built around a 8' by 8' square garden. How wide can the path be if there is enough gravel

Question 427200: I am trying to find a way to solve this problem.
A gravel path of equal width is to be built around a 8' by 8' square garden. How wide can the path be if there is enough gravel for 80 square ft?
Found 2 solutions by unlockmath, josmiceli:
Answer by unlockmath(1688) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Hello,
First draw a square to show the garden which is 8 ft by 8 ft. Now draw a path around it. Let's have 2x+8 represent each side of the square. We can set up an equation as:
(2x+8)(2x+8)=144 sq ft
Expand this out to:
4x^2+32x+64=144
Subtract 144 from both side to get:
4x^2+32x-80=0
Factor this to:
(2x-4)(2x+20)=0
Solve for x:
x=2
x=-10
The only reasonable answer is 2.
Now we know the path is 2 feet wide going around the garden.
work it out to see if this is correct.
Make sense?
RJ
www.math-unlock.com
Answer by josmiceli(19441) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
You are putting 80 square feet around square feet
Adding these, square feet. These combined areas
have to be a square, since the path surrounds a square.
ft is a side of the square.
The path width is
The path is 2 ft wide
check:

OK
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