SOLUTION: if the sides of a square are lengthened by 8 cm, the area becomes 225 cm^2. Find the length of a side of the original square. The length of a side of the original square is?

Question 330426: if the sides of a square are lengthened by 8 cm, the area becomes 225 cm^2. Find the length of a side of the original square.
The length of a side of the original square is?
Found 2 solutions by solver91311, mananth:
Answer by solver91311(24713) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

The new square has to have sides of 15, so the old square had sides of 15 - 8 = 7.

John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it

Answer by mananth(16946) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
let side =x
..
the increased length = x+8
Area = (x+8)(x+8)=225
x^2+16x+64=225
x^2+16x-159=0
find the roots of the equation by the quadratic formula

a=1,b=16,c-159

x1=6.933 the original length of square
similarly x2 = -22.9 ignore
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