Question

A rectangle is three centimeters.longer than it is wide. if its length were to be decreased by two centimeters, its area would decrease by thirty square centimeters.

A) what are the dimensions?
B) what is it’s area?
Show your work using an equation

Answer 1

given/equations formed from text:
I: l=w+3
II: A=l*w
III: new area B=(l-2)*w
IV: B=A-30

substitute l in II with I to remove l:
II': A=l*w=
(w+3)*w=
w^2+3w

substitute l in III with I to remove l:
III': B=(l-2)*w=
(w+3-2)*w=
(w+1)*w=
w^2+w

substitute A and B from II' and III' into IV:
B=A-30
w^2+w=w^2+3w-30
30=2w
w=15

insert w=15 into I:
l=15+3=18
->
A) dimensions of full size rectangle are width 15 and length 18
dimensions of reduced size rectangle are width 15 and length 16

B) full size: 15*18=10*18+5*18=180+90=270cm^2
reduced size: 15*16=10*16+5*16=160+80=240cm^2