Answer:
Let's denote the length of the rectangle to be L and the width to be W.
The first sentence tells us that the length, L, is "4 less than twice the width". "4 less than" implies we subtract 4 from some quantity. What is that quantity? Well that's "twice the width." We can rewrite this sentence in terms of L and W as: L = 2W - 4.
Now we know the length of the rectangle in terms of the width.
The area of a rectangle is given by A = L x W. Using this equation, we can substitute our values for area and length:
A = L x W
96 = (2W - 4) x W
From this we can solve for W and subsequently solve for L using algebra:
96 = (2W - 4) x W
96 = 2W^2 -4W
96 = 2(W^2 - 2W)
48 = W^2 - 2W
W^2 - 2W - 48 = 0
(W - 8)(W + 6) = 0
W = 8 or W = -6
Since W is the side-length of a rectangle, we can disregard the negative solution. Therefore W = 8 ft.
If W = 8, then L = 2W - 4 = 2(8) - 4 = 12 ft.
Lastly, we know the Perimeter of a rectangle is given as P = 2L + 2W. Substituting into this equation we solve for the perimeter:
P = 2L + 2W = 2(12) + 2(8) = 40 ft.
Explanation: