Question

A = s²

O 1 in.
O2 in.
O 6 in.
O 12 in.
10
Stacey has a square piece of cloth. She cuts 3 inches off of the length of the square and 3 inches off of the width. The
area of the smaller square is the area of the original square. What was the side length of the original square?
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Answer 1

To find the side length of the original square, set up the equation (s - 3)² = s², expand and simplify, and solve for s.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the side length of the original square, let's consider the equation A = s², where A represents the area and s represents the side length of the square. Stacey cut 3 inches off both the length and the width, so the side length of the smaller square is s - 3. We know that the area of the smaller square is equal to the area of the original square, so we can set up the equation (s - 3)² = s².

Expanding and simplifying this equation, we get s² - 6s + 9 = s². Solving for s, we subtract s² from both sides, leaving us with -6s + 9 = 0. Simplifying further, we have -6s = -9, and dividing both sides by -6 gives s = 1.5.

Therefore, the side length of the original square was 1.5 inches.

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