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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Question from Becky, a student: A rectangle has an area of 48 square inches and perimeter of 32 inches. Find the dimensions of the rectangle. |
Hi Becky,
You are asked for the dimensions of the rectangle which means the length and the width so I would start by saying
Let the length of the rectangle be $L$ inches and the width $W$ inches.
The area of a rectangle is the length times the width so using $L$ and $W$ what you know is
\[L \times W = 48 \mbox{ square inches.}\]
Using $L$ and $W$ write an equation for the perimeter of the rectangle. Solve this equation for $L$ in terms of $W,$ substitute into the first equation and solve the resulting equation for $W.$
Write back if you need more assistance,
Penny
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