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-   -   Area word set up (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=236035)

  • Jul 10, 2008, 02:02 PM
    cacia
    Area word set up
    I need help setting up this problem:
    A rectangle is twice as long as it is wide. If its length and width are both decreased by 4cm, its area is decreased by 164cm2. Find its original dimensions.
  • Jul 10, 2008, 02:19 PM
    ebaines
    Hello cacia. First thing is to decide what to call the unknows - let's call them L (for length) and W (width). You know that the rectangle is twice as long as it wide, so:

    L = 2W

    Since the area of a rectangle is L*W, you know from the second sentence in the problem that:

    (L-4)*(W-4) = L*W-164.

    You should now be able to solve these two equations to find values for L and W.

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