Could I get a forumla for this word problem?

[moronatmath]

.k

 

[stapel]

There is no one formula that works for all word problems. One must usually invent the necessary formulae as one goes along. In this case:

Pick a variable for the width.

Write an expression, in terms of this variable, for the length.

Plug the length expression and the width variable into the area formula for a rectangle.

Set this equal to the given value for area.

Solve for the variable. Back-solve for the length.

Eliz.

 

[moronatmath]

I apologize for my ignorance Eliz, but how do I pick a variable for the width?

 

[stapel]

how do I pick a variable for the width?

You look at the alphabet and you pick a letter.

Eliz.

 

[moronatmath]

so w=1125^2-20?

Could you help me set up this problem using numbers?

for w=width, l=length

because I am confused on what to do?

I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[stapel]

so w=1125^2-20?

No. You need to find the width; you have not been given the width. And the width would certainly not be in quartic units (which the square of the square-unit area would yield, sort of).

Could you help me set up this problem using numbers?

I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean by this. The point of the exercise is that you need to find the numbers. You can't start with numbers.

for w=width, l=length

Okay; now write an expression for the length in terms of the variable for the width, using the relationship given in the exercise.

I am confused on what to do?

Then you need to take the area formula for a rectangle, and plug in the variable for the width, the expression for the length, and the given value for the area. This will give you a quadratic equation in "w". Solve.

Eliz.