SOLUTION: 2) The volume of a rectangular prism is a - 3. What is the width given that the length is a-3 over a-7 and the depth is a+b over a-7? Help please! :)

Algebra ->  Polynomials-and-rational-expressions -> SOLUTION: 2) The volume of a rectangular prism is a - 3. What is the width given that the length is a-3 over a-7 and the depth is a+b over a-7? Help please! :)      Log On


   

Question 199244: 2) The volume of a rectangular prism is a - 3. What is the width given that the length is a-3 over a-7 and the depth is a+b over a-7?
Help please! :)
Answer by tutorvolunteer(9) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
To do this, you need the formula for volume of a rectangular prism.
V of rect prism = length * width* height = (a-3)
We know the length = (a-3)/(a-7) and the height, or depth = (a+b)/(a-7)
Therefore we can solve for the width:
a-3 = (a-3)/(a-7) * (a+b)/(a-7) * width
That is the conceptual part of the problem. With a little algebra, you can solve for the width in terms of a. (You will not get an exact answer)