document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=97846>Question 97846</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> A garden area is 30 ft long and 20 ft wide.  A path of uniform width is set around the edge.  If the remaining garden is 400 ft^2, what is the width of the path.\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "I tried (x is width of path):<BR>\n" );
document.write( "(30-x)(20-x)=400<BR>\n" );
document.write( "600-30x-20x+x^2=400<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x^2-50x+600=400<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x^2-50x+600-400=0<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x^2-50x+200=0\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "I then tried the quadratic equation with a=1, b=-50, c=200 and ended up with x=25 +- 5 radical 17\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "Help!!!!  Thanks! </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #71194 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=mathslover><B>mathslover(157)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-09.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=mathslover><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=mathslover><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=71194\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> you were close <BR>\n" );
document.write( "the place where you erred was in taking the length as 30 -x<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Since its a path running around you have to consider 2 sides.So the length <BR>\n" );
document.write( "would be 30 -2x and the width 20 -2x<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Now you can procced as earlier,\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "(30-2x)(20-2x)=400<BR>\n" );
document.write( "600-100x + 4x^2 =400<BR>\n" );
document.write( "4x^2 -100x +200=0<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x^2 -25x + 50 =0<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x= (25 +- 5sqrt(17))/2<BR>\n" );
document.write( " <BR>\n" );
document.write( "we take only <BR>\n" );
document.write( "(25 - 5sqrt(17))/2  since the other root makes the widt greater than the side<BR>\n" );
document.write( "=2.192 ft\r<BR>\n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( " </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</TD></TR></TABLE>\n" );