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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Question from Vanessa, a parent: If the playground is a rectangle with it's width 10ft shorter than it's length, and it can be enclosed by exactly 140ft of fence, what is the length and width of the playground? |
Hi Vanessa,
Suppose that the width of the playground is w feet. This is 10 feet shorter that the length so the length must be w + 10 feet. Thinking about a width of w feet and a length of w + 10 feet how much fencing do you need to enclose the playground? But you know it takes 140 feet of fencing to surround the playground so this gives you an equation in the variable w. Solve for w.
Penny
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