SOLUTION: Can you please explain to me how you find the answer to this problem: If two parallel sides of a square are increased by 6 cm and the other two parallel sides are each decreased by

Question 856: Can you please explain to me how you find the answer to this problem: If two parallel sides of a square are increased by 6 cm and the other two parallel sides are each decreased by 1 cm, a rectangle is formed having twice the area of the square. How long was each side of the square?
Answer by usyim88hk(158) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let the length of one side of the square be x:
is the area of the square
Area of the retangle:
(x+6)(x-1)
which is equal to

so if the area of the retangle is twice the area of the square, then we can set up an equation:

Now, slove it:

Now use the quadratic formula to slove:

x = (-4/-2) or (-6/-2)
x = 2 or 3
-------------------------------------------------------------
Check:
if x=2
x^2 = 4
(2+6)(2-1) = 8
8 = 2*4
8=8 (2 is right!)
if x=3
x^2 = 9
(3+6)(3-1) = 18
18 = 2*9
18=18 (3 is right!)
--------------------------------------------------------------
So the answer is 2 or 3, they both work!
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