SOLUTION: An Aquarium holding African cichlids is 2 inches higher than it is wide. Its length is 33 inches, and its volume is 3960 cubic inches. What are the height and width of the aquariu

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Question 616611: An Aquarium holding African cichlids is 2 inches higher than it is wide. Its length is 33 inches, and its volume is 3960 cubic inches.
What are the height and width of the aquarium?
Answer by dragonwalker(73) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
let us say that the width is 'w'.
the height is therefore w+2
As Volume = height x width x length then:
3960 = (w+2) x w x 33
I always find it better to have the whole numbers to the right:
(w+2) x w x 33 = 3960
33w(w+2) = 3960
33w%5E2+%2B+66w+=+3960
33w%5E2+%2B+66w+-+3960+=+0
Divide each value by 33 to simplify:
w%5E2+%2B+2w+-+120+=+0
(w + 12)(w - 10) = 0
Therefore w = -12 or w = 10
as w has to be a positive number due to it being a measurement of a real length then w = 10
Therefore width = 10 in. and height is two more than this so = 12 in.
To check result
12 x 10 x 33 = 3960 !!!