SOLUTION: 6. The length of a rectangle is 1 cm longer than it's width. If the diagonal of the rectangle is 4cm, what are the dimensions (the length and the width) of the rectangle?

Question 61485: 6. The length of a rectangle is 1 cm longer than it's width. If the diagonal of the rectangle is 4cm, what are the dimensions (the length and the width) of the rectangle?
Answer by tutorcecilia(2152) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
a^2+b^2=c^2 [use the pythagorean theorem]
Let:
a=length
b=width
c=diagonal or hypotenuse
.
(w+1)^2+w=4^2 [plug-in the values and solve]
w^2+2w+1+w=16
2w^2+2w+1-16=0 [set the equation equal to zero]
2w^2+2w-15=0 [factor using the quadratic formula]

=2.2838
.
=-3.284[eliminate a negative measurement]
.
So, the width = 2.2838
Length = (w+1)=2.2838+1=3.2838
.
check by plugging all of the values back into the pythagorean theorem and solve.
.

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