SOLUTION: Jane's yard is 10m by 14m. She wants to build a rectangular garden in the centre of the yard. She wants the garden to have an area of 50m^2. The rest of the yard will be used as a

Algebra ->  Quadratic Equations and Parabolas  -> Quadratic Equations Lessons  -> Quadratic Equation Lesson -> SOLUTION: Jane's yard is 10m by 14m. She wants to build a rectangular garden in the centre of the yard. She wants the garden to have an area of 50m^2. The rest of the yard will be used as a       Log On


   

Question 1072654: Jane's yard is 10m by 14m. She wants to build a rectangular garden in the centre of the yard. She wants the garden to have an area of 50m^2. The rest of the yard will be used as a walkway around the garden. How wide will the walkway be? Solve by completing the square and record your answer to the nearest tenth of a metre.
Answer by josgarithmetic(39617) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
No other specified information, so assumption is uniform wide walkway around the 50 square meter garden.


Whole yard area, 10%2A14.

Just the garden area, %2810-2%2Ax%29%2814-2%2Ax%29=50, and x is the width around the garden, to be the walkway.

140-48x%2B4x%5E2-50=0

4x%5E2-48x%2B90=0

highlight_green%282x%5E2-24x%2B45=0%29
If you really want to solve by completing the square, go ahead. You start it as 2%28x%5E2-12x%2B45%2F2%29=0, and the term to add and subtract INSIDE the parentheses is %2812%2F2%29%5E2=6%5E2.

You do the rest of this or what you need.

highlight%28x=2.33%29