document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=1195712>Question 1195712</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Cynthia Besch wants to buy a rug for a room that is 21ft wide and 28ft long. She wants to leave a uniform strip of floor around the rug. She can afford to buy 494 square feet of carpeting. What dimensions should the rug​ have? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #828221 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=greenestamps><B>greenestamps(13200)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=greenestamps><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=greenestamps><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=828221\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> <br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "The response from the other tutor shows a good typical formal algebraic method for solving the problem.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "But you can also get good experience in problem solving by using logical reasoning and a bit of simple arithmetic.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "If the dimensions of the room are 21 by 28 feet and the strip surrounding the rug is of uniform width, then the dimensions of the rug are 21-x and 28-x feet.  The numbers given in the problem are whole numbers, so the solution will almost certainly involve whole numbers.  So subtract whole numbers from each dimension of the room to find a pair of numbers whose product is 494.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Subtracting 1 from each dimension gives us 27 by 20 feet; that product is obviously not 494.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Subtracting 2 from each dimension gives us 26 by 19 feet.  The units digit of that product is 4 (9 times 6 is 54), so that could be our answer. And, multiplying, we find that indeed 26*19 is 494.  So the dimensions of the rug are 26 by 19 feet.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "ANSWER: 26 feet by 19 feet<br><BR>\n" );
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