A tanks length is 3 feet longer than its width. The height is 1 foot less than the width. The volume of the tank is 160 cubic feet. What is the width of the tank?

Respuesta :

Answer:

The width of the tank is 5 feet.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let the width of the tank be [tex]w ft[/tex].


Then, the length of the tank will be [tex]l=(w+3)ft[/tex]

and the heigth will be [tex]h=(w-1)ft[/tex].


It was given that the volume of the tank is [tex]160ft^3[/tex].


Recall that the tank is a cuboid or a rectangular prism.


The volume is given by;


[tex]V=l\timesb \times w \times h[/tex].


We substitute the given values into the formula to obtain;


[tex]160=(w+3)(w)(w-1)[/tex]


We expand to obtain


[tex]160=w(w^2-w+3w-3)[/tex]


[tex]160=w(w^2+2w-3)[/tex]


[tex]160=w^3+2w^2-3w[/tex]


[tex]w^3+2w^2-3w-160=0[/tex]


[tex]\Rightarrow w=5[/tex]


Therefore the width of the tank is 5 feet.