Question

Marcy is putting a wallpaper border at the top of the walls of her baby's rectangular room. The width of the room is 2 feet less than the length. If she needs 52 feet of border, what are the dimensions of the room?​

Answer 1

The baby's rectangular room is 14 feet long and 12 feet wide

Explanation:

Assume we set:

x=width of the room

y=length of the room

The width of the room is 2 feet less than the length:

`x=y-2\qquad\qquad [1]`

The total length of the wallpaper needed is the perimeter of the room. The formula for the perimeter of a rectangle is:

P=2x+2y

And the perimeter is equal to 52 feet:

2x+2y=52

Dividing by 2:

`x+y=26\qquad\qquad [2]`

Substituting x from [1]:

y-2+y=26

Simplifying:

2y-2=26

Adding 2:

2y=28

Solving:

y=28/2=14

y=14

Find x:

x=y-2=14-2=12

The baby's rectangular room is 14 feet long and 12 feet wide