Question

The perimeter of a rectangle sandpit is 40 meters. The length of the sandpit is 1 meter less than twice it’s width. What are the dimensions of this sandpit

Answer 1

The width is 7 meters and the length is 13 meters

Explanation:

The perimeter of a rectangle sandpit is 40 meters.

Let the width be w units, then the length which is 1 meter less than twice it’s width becomes:
`l=2w-1`

The perimeter of a rectangle is given by:

`P=2(w+l)`

We substitute P=40 and the length in term of w to get:

`40=2(w+2w-1)`

We simplify to get:

`40=2(3w-1)`

Divide through by 2 to get:

`20=3w-1\\\implies 21=3w\\\implies w=(21)/(3)=7`

Hence
`l=2(7)-1=14-1=13`