SOLUTION: 2 If the sides of a square are lengthened by 8cm, the area becomes 196cm . find the length of a side of

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Question 553737: 2
If the sides of a square are lengthened by 8cm, the area becomes 196cm .
find the length of a side of the original square
Answer by rapaljer(4671) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let x = original side of the square.

(x+8)^2=196

Take the square root of both sides:
x%2B8=sqrt%28196%29 or x%2B8=-sqrt%28196%29
x%2B8=14 or x%2B8=-14

Reject the negative, since a side of a square cannot be negative
x%2B8=14
x=6+cm

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