Answer: Width = 8ft, Length = 12 ft
Step-by-step explanation:
irst, let'Fs express the width of the garden as w (the unknown that we are trying to solve), since the length is 4 feet longer than it's width, we can express this as 4+w. Since the flowerbed is rectangular, the formula for the area is A=lw where l is it's length and w is it's width, replacing l with 4+w, then replace A for 96 sq.ft and we can begin solving for the unknown w. Multiplying 4+w and w, using the distributive property where a(b+c)=ab+ac, we will wind up with w^2 + 4w = 96, subtracting 96 and moving it to the other side, we end up with w^2 + 4w -96 = 0, now let's use the quadratic formula for the x intercepts where [tex]x = \frac{-b +/- \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}[/tex] , remember the quadratic equation has the form [tex]ax^2+bx+c[/tex], therefore our a value is 1, our b value is 4, and our c value is -96 (remember to put that negative!), we will get 2 answers, 8 and -12, a negative width is unreasonable and so 8 is the correct width, and since the length is 4 extra feet, this makes the length 12 feet for a total area of 96 feet. hope this helps! Its helpful to draw and visualize the problem!
