Question

Edgar is constructing a rectangular play area against an exterior wall of his house for his guinea pig. He uses 60 feet of fencing material to enclose 3 sides of the play area. Write an equation to represent l, the length of the play area in feet, as a function of w, the width in feet. ​

Answer 1

The equation representing the length (l) of Edgar's rectangular play area as a function of the width (w), given 60 feet of fencing material is used for three sides, is l = 60 - 2w.

Step-by-step explanation:

Edgar is using 60 feet of fencing material to enclose three sides of a rectangular play area against an exterior wall of his house for his guinea pig. Since one side (the length) will be against the wall, he only needs to fence the other three sides: two widths and one length. With 60 feet of fencing material, the perimeter of the three sides (2 widths and 1 length) can be represented by the equation 2w + l = 60. To write the equation representing the length (l) as a function of the width (w), we need to solve for l. Rearranging the equation, we get l = 60 - 2w.