SOLUTION: Clara’s house is 26 feet wide (side to side) and 36 feet deep (front to back). She wishes to plant 7 identical shrubberies along two consecutive sides of the house as indicated in

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Question 1088340: Clara’s house is 26 feet wide (side to side) and 36 feet deep (front to back). She wishes to plant 7 identical shrubberies along two consecutive sides of the house as indicated in the sketch. If the area of the new shrubbery bed is to be half of the area of the house, then how far from the house will this shrubbery extend straight out from the house?
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) About Me  (Show Source):
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Clara’s house is 26 feet wide (side to side) and 36 feet deep (front to back).
She wishes to plant 7 identical shrubberies along two consecutive sides of the house as indicated in the sketch.
If the area of the new shrubbery bed is to be half of the area of the house, then how far from the house will this shrubbery extend straight out from the house?
:
Find half the area of the house
%28%2826%2A36%29%29%2F2 = 468 sq/ft
let w = the width of the shrub area
:
The shrub area is made up of two rectangles
(36+w) by w and 26 by w
the equation
w(w+36) + 26w = 468
w^2 + 36w + 26w - 468 = 0
w^2 + 62w - 468 = 0
Use the quadratic formula a=1; b=62; c=-468
I got a positive solution of
w = 6.8ft