Question

if the sides if a square are increased by 3 m, the area becomes 64 m^2. Find the length if a side if the original square

Answer 1

5 m

Explanation:

Set up an equation using the square area formula, A = s²

Let x represent the original side length:

(x + 3)² = 64

Simplify:

x² + 6x + 9 = 64

Subtract 64 from both sides:

x² + 6x - 55

Factor by finding 2 factors of -55 that add up to 6:

(x + 11)(x - 5) = 0

Solve for the 2 solutions:

x + 11 = 0

x = -11

x - 5 = 0

x = 5

The side length cannot be be negative, so the answer is 5.

The side length of the original square is 5 m.