Question 947520
The area of a rectangular piece of sheet metal is 216 ft². The width of the sheet is 6 ft less than the width. What are the dimensions of the piece of metal?
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Let L = length
then
L-6 = width
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L(L-6) = 216
L^2-6L = 216
L^2-6L-216 = 0
factoring:
(L+18)(L-12) = 0
L = {-18, 12}
throw out the negative solution (extraneous) leaving:
L = 12 feet (length)
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width:
L-6 = 12-6 = 6 feet (width)
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answer: 6 feet wide by 12 feet long