Question

The length of a rectangle is 4 centimeters less than its width. What are the dimensions of the rectangle if its area is 192 square centimeters?

Answer 1

Width = 16 cm

Length = 12 cm

Explanation:

Let the width of the rectangle be represented as x

Width = x cm

Length = (x - 4) cm

Area = L*W = 192 cm²

Thus:

x * (x - 4) = 192

x² - 4x = 192

x² - 4x - 192 = 0

Factorize

x² - 16x + 12x - 192

x(x - 16) +12(x - 16)

(x - 16)(x + 12)

x = 16 or x = -12

Width cannot be a negative number, therefore, the width of the rectangle = x = 16 cm

Width = x = 16 cm

Length = (x - 4) cm = (16 - 4) = 12 cm