Question

A garden measuring 16 meters by 8 meters is going to have a walkway constructed all around the perimeter, increasing the total area to 240 square meters. What will be the width of the pathway?

Answer 1

The width of the pathway is:

• 7 meters.

Explanation:

To identify the width of the pathway, you must remember the area formula of a rectangle:

• Area of a rectangle = length * width.

From which the width can be cleared:

• Width of a rectangle = area / length.

We know that the length of the terrain was not modified since the pathway is in the perimeter of the rectangle (16 m) and that the new area is 240 m^2, so we only have to replace the cleared formula:

• Width of a rectangle = 240 m^2 / 16 m = 15 m.

The new width is equal to 15 meters, but since the question is not the total width but the width of the pathway, the width of the previously provided land must be subtracted from the value obtained.

• Pathway width = Total width - Garden width.
• Pathway width = 15m - 8m = 7 meters.