contestada

The area of a bulletin board is 52squarefeet. The length is three feet less than four times the width. Find the length and the width of the bulletin board.

Respuesta :

Answer:

width = 4ft

length = 13

Step-by-step explanation:

Let the unknown value of width be y; and the unknown value of length be x

4 times the width = 4y

The length, x is 3 feet less than 4y

= [tex]4y - 3[/tex]

A board is rectangular in shape.

The formula for calculating the area of a rectangle is;

Area= width x length

Area of the bulletin board is given as 52 ft²

Width = y

Length = 4y - 3

Therefore,

[tex]52=y(4y-3)[/tex]

[tex]52=4y²-3y[/tex]

[tex]4y²-3y-52=0[/tex]

This leads to a quadratic equation which has the form [tex]ax²+bx+c=0[/tex]

Steps to solving a quadratic equation are

1. Multiply the coefficient of x² by c, i.e, a times c = [tex]ac[/tex]

2. We look for two factors of ac that can also be added together to give b.

[tex]4y²-3y-52=0[/tex] corresponds to [tex]ax²+bx+c=0[/tex]

4 x -52 = -208

Two factors of -208 that can add up to give -3 are -16 and 13

We can write [tex]4y²-3y-52=0[/tex] as [tex](4y²-16y)+(13y-52)=0[/tex]

We factorise each brackets

[tex]4y(y-4)+13(y-4)=0[/tex]

This becomes,

[tex](4y+13)(y-4)=0[/tex]

[tex]4y+13=0[/tex]

[tex]y-4=0[/tex]

[tex]4y=-13[/tex]

[tex]4y/4=-13/4[/tex]

[tex]y=-13/4[/tex]

Or

[tex]y-4=0[/tex]

[tex]y=4[/tex]

A quadratic equation has two solutions. Therefore, [tex]y = -13/4[/tex]or [tex]y=4[/tex]

But the width of a rectangle is usually a natural number hence, the possible value of the width y, is = 4

Length, [tex]x=4y-3[/tex]

but y = 4

Therefore length, x=[tex]4(4)-3=16-3=13[/tex]