Question

You may remember that the perimeter of a rectangle is P=2(W+L) where W is the width and L is the length. Suppose that the perimeter of a rectangle is 54 feet, and the length is 13 feet more than the width. Find the width of the rectangle, in feet.

Answer 1

7 feet

Explanation:

We are given that:

P=54

L=13+W

With this we can substitute so that the equation looks like this:

54=2(W+13+W)

Distribute 2 to everything inside the parenthesis:

54=2W+2W+26

Simplify the equation to:

54=4W+26

Isolate 4w by -26 on each side:

28=4W

Divide both sides by 4 to isolate W:

W=7

We can fact-check this:

W=7

L=13+7=20

P=2(W+L)

54=2(7+20)

54=54