Question 249398: The length of a rectangle is 4 inches more than its width. It 2 inches are taken from the length and added to the width, the figure becomes a square with an area of 196 square inches. What are the dimensions of the original figure?
Answer by oberobic(2304)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Setting up the equations is the key to solving word problems. Drawing a diagram is helpful, too.
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L = W+4 (the length is 4 inches more than length (given))
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L-2 (if 2 inches are taken from L) and added to the width (W+2) the figure becomes a square.
A square has 4 equal sides.
L-2 = W+2
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We are told the area of the square is 196.
(L-2)(W+2) = 196
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Substituting from L = W+4
(W+4 -2)(W + 2) = 196
(W+2)(W+2) = 196
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Taking the square root
(W+2) = sqrt(196) = 14
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Subtracting 2 from both sides
W = 12
and
L = W+4 = 16
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Is the length 4 more than width? Yes.
If you subtract 2 from length and add 2 to width, and then multiply them, is the result 196? Yes.
Done.
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