Question

As seen in the diagram below, Dalvin is building a walkway with a width of x x feet to go around a swimming pool that measures 7 feet by 9 feet. If the total area of the pool and the walkway will be 143 square feet, how wide should the walkway be?

Answer 1

Answer: 2

Explanation:

(7+2x)(9+2x)= 143 (area= length x width)

63+14x+18x+4x^2=143

4x^2+32x−80=0

x^2+8x−20=0

(x−2)(x+10)=0

x = 2 or -10

Since the length of the walkway can't be negative, the answer is 2.