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The length of a rectangle is 3 inches longer than it is wide. If the area is 130 square inches, what are the dimensions of the rectangle?
The width, or shorter side is 
◻ inches
The length, or longer side is 
◻ inches

The length of a rectangle is 33 inches longer than it is wide. If the area is 130130 square inches, what are the dimensions of the rectangle?\newlineThe width, or shorter side is \square inches\newlineThe length, or longer side is \square inches

Full solution

Q. The length of a rectangle is 33 inches longer than it is wide. If the area is 130130 square inches, what are the dimensions of the rectangle?\newlineThe width, or shorter side is \square inches\newlineThe length, or longer side is \square inches
  1. Define Width and Length: Let's define the width of the rectangle as WW inches. Since the length is 33 inches longer, the length will be W+3W + 3 inches.
  2. Calculate Area Equation: The area of a rectangle is calculated by multiplying the length by the width. So, the equation for the area is W×(W+3)=130W \times (W + 3) = 130 square inches.
  3. Rearrange and Solve Quadratic Equation: Expanding the equation gives us W2+3W=130W^2 + 3W = 130. To solve for WW, we need to rearrange this into a standard quadratic form. Subtract 130130 from both sides to get W2+3W130=0W^2 + 3W - 130 = 0.
  4. Apply Quadratic Formula: Now, we solve the quadratic equation W2+3W130=0W^2 + 3W - 130 = 0 using the quadratic formula, W=b±b24ac2aW = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}. Here, a=1a = 1, b=3b = 3, and c=130c = -130.
  5. Simplify and Find Potential Solutions: Plugging in the values, we get W=3±3241(130)21W = \frac{-3 \pm \sqrt{3^2 - 4 \cdot 1 \cdot (-130)}}{2 \cdot 1}. Simplifying inside the square root: W=3±9+5202W = \frac{-3 \pm \sqrt{9 + 520}}{2}.
  6. Select Valid Width: Further simplifying, W=3±5292W = \frac{-3 \pm \sqrt{529}}{2}. Since 529=23\sqrt{529} = 23, we have W=3±232W = \frac{-3 \pm 23}{2}.
  7. Calculate Length: This gives us two potential solutions for WW: W=(233)/2=10W = (23 - 3) / 2 = 10 and W=(323)/2=13W = (-3 - 23) / 2 = -13. Since a width can't be negative, we use W=10W = 10 inches.
  8. Calculate Length: This gives us two potential solutions for WW: W=(233)/2=10W = (23 - 3) / 2 = 10 and W=(323)/2=13W = (-3 - 23) / 2 = -13. Since a width can't be negative, we use W=10W = 10 inches. Now, substituting W=10W = 10 inches back into the length equation, the length L=W+3=10+3=13L = W + 3 = 10 + 3 = 13 inches.

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