Data:
• Length ( ,l ,): three feet less than twice its width ( ,w ,).
,• Perimeter ( ,P, ) = 42ft
Procedure
To solve this exercise, we have to build two equations based on the information given, as we have two variables.
• Length (l)
[tex]l=2w-3[/tex]where l and w represent the length and the width, respectively.
• Perimeter
[tex]2l+2w=42[/tex]To solve this system of equations, we can replace the expression of l in the second equation as follows:
[tex]2\cdot(2w-3)+2w=42[/tex]Simplifying:
[tex]4w-6+2w=42[/tex][tex]6w=42+6[/tex][tex]w=\frac{48}{6}[/tex][tex]w=8[/tex]Now that we have the value of w, we can substitute in the first equation to get the value of l:
[tex]l=2\cdot8-3[/tex][tex]l=16-3[/tex][tex]l=13[/tex]Answer:
• Length 13 ft