<PRE><B>Question 821654</B>
a rectangle is 3cm longer than it is wide. the diagonal is 15 cm. find the dimensions of the rectangle. use quadratic formula
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width = x cm
length = x+3 cm
diag = 15 cm
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Use Pythgoras:
x^2 + (x+3)^2 = 15^2
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x^2 + x^2 + 6x + 9 = 225
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2x^2 + 6x - 216 = 0
x^2 + 3x - 108 = 0
(x-9)(x+12) = 0
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Positive solution:
x = 9 cm (width)
x+3 = 12 cm (width)
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Cheers,
Stan H.</PRE>