Question 329277: I saw this problem in my textbook:
A rectangle has a perimeter of 42 miles and an area of 104 square miles. Find the dimensions of the rectangle.
Answer:
The formula for perimeter of a rectangle is,
P = 2*L + 2*W = 42
1.L+W=21
The formula for area of a rectangle is,
A=L*W=104
2.L*W=104
From eq. 1,
L=21-W
Substitute into eq. 2,
(21-W)*W=104
21W-W^2=104
You can factor this quadratic,
(W-13)(W-8)=0
Two solutions:
W-13=0
W=13 Then from above,
L+13=21
L=8
W-8=0
W=8
L=13
The rectangle is 13 miles by 8 miles.
MY BOOK HAS THE ANSWER OF LENGTH: 13 MILES; WIDTH: 8 MILES. MY QUESTION IS: Couldn't the answer also have been length: 8 miles; width: 13 miles?
Answer by solver91311(24713)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Yes, it could. However, by convention, we typically refer to the longer side of a rectangle as the length and the shorter side as the width. Sort of the no tattoos and no piercings way of talking about things. Any time you want to talk to someone about a rectangle and it is important to the discussion which of the sides you are referring to as length and which as width, if you don't follow the traditional pattern, you will either have to make a point of defining which is which or risk a misunderstanding with whatever consequences may ensue.
John
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
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