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The area of a rectangular parking lot is represented by A = 6x^2 − 19x − 7 If x represents 15 m, what are the length and width of the parking lot?

User Ankit Garg
by
4.9k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Answers:

Length = 46 meters

Width = 23 meters

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Work Shown:

Multiply the first coefficient (6) and the last term (-7) to get -42. We need to find factors of -42 that add to -19

Turns out that those two numbers are -21 and 2, which you find by trial and error.

-21 * 2 = -42

-21 + 2 = -19

Break up -19x as -21x+2x and use the factor by grouping method

6x^2 - 19x - 7

6x^2 - 21x + 2x - 7

(6x^2 - 21x) + (2x - 7)

3x(2x - 7) + 1(2x - 7)

(3x+1)(2x-7)

The factorization represents the length*width, since this product is equal to the rectangle's area.

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Plug x = 15 into each factor

3x+1 = 3*15+1 = 46

2x-7 = 2*15-7 = 23

The length and width are 46 and 23

User Moin Ahmed
by
5.8k points
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