Quandaries and Queries
  

 

Name: Marcos
Who is asking: Student

Question: The length of a picture window is 2 feet longer than twice its width. If the diagonal of the window is 13 feet, find the dimensions of the window.
 

 

Marcos,

Draw a diagram and label it. I called the width W and the length L, both in feet.

The instructions say that L is 2 feet longer than twice W, that is

L = 2 W + 2

You also know that the diagonal is 13 feet long. Thus you have

This is a right triangle. Do you know a relationship among the sides of a right triangle?

Penny