Question

A rectangle has a length of five inches more than its width it's area is 24 square inches find the dimensions of the rectangle?

A. width=3 in length=4 in
B. width=3 in length= 8 in
c. width=4 in length= 5 in
d. width=8 in length =2 in​

Answer 1

Width = x

Length = x + 5

Area = 24 square inches

Area = length times width or A = lw for short.

24 = x(x + 5)

24 = x^2 + 5x

x^2 + 5x - 24 = 0

Factor left side.

(x - 3)(x + 5) = 0

Set each factor to 0 and solve for x.

x - 3 = 0

x = 3

x + 5 = 0

x = -5

We must reject x = -5 because we are asked to find the dimensions of the rectangle and dimension cannot be negative.

So, the width is 3 inches and the length is 5 more than 3 inches or 8 inches.

Answer: B