4.2k views
2 votes
The area of a rectangle is 36x^2 — 100y^2. Determine the length and the width of the rectangle.

The area of a rectangle is 36x^2 — 100y^2. Determine the length and the width of the-example-1
User Tryzor
by
6.7k points

1 Answer

6 votes

Answer:

the length is represented by (6x + 10y) and the width by (6x - 10y)

Explanation:

36x^2 - 100y^2 is the difference of two squares, so we need only factor this expression to obtain the length and width.

Recall that a similar difference, a^2 - b^2, comes out to (a - b)(a + b).

Thus, (36x)^2 = (100y)^2 = (6x - 10y)(6x + 10y).

Let's assume that the greater measurement, the length, is represented by (6x + 10y) and the width by (6x - 10y)