Questions: The area of a rectangle is 99 ft², and the length of the rectangle is 7 ft more than twice the width. Find the dimensions of the rectangle.
Transcript text: The area of a rectangle is $99 \mathrm{ft}^{2}$, and the length of the rectangle is 7 ft more than twice the width. Find the dimensions of the rectangle.
Solution
Solution Steps
To solve this problem, we need to set up a quadratic equation based on the given conditions. Let's denote the width of the rectangle as \( w \). According to the problem, the length \( l \) is \( 7 \) feet more than twice the width, so \( l = 2w + 7 \). The area of the rectangle is given as \( 99 \) square feet, so we can set up the equation \( w \times (2w + 7) = 99 \). This simplifies to a quadratic equation \( 2w^2 + 7w - 99 = 0 \). We can solve this quadratic equation to find the width \( w \), and then use it to find the length \( l \).
Step 1: Set Up the Equation
Let the width of the rectangle be \( w \). The length \( l \) is given by the expression \( l = 2w + 7 \). The area of the rectangle is given as \( 99 \, \text{ft}^2 \). Therefore, we can set up the equation:
\[
w \cdot (2w + 7) = 99
\]
This simplifies to the quadratic equation:
\[
2w^2 + 7w - 99 = 0
\]
Step 2: Solve the Quadratic Equation
Using the quadratic formula, we find the roots of the equation \( 2w^2 + 7w - 99 = 0 \). The solutions are:
\[
w = -9 \quad \text{and} \quad w = \frac{11}{2}
\]
Since width cannot be negative, we take the positive solution:
\[
w = 5.5 \, \text{ft}
\]
Step 3: Calculate the Length
Now, we can find the length using the width:
\[
l = 2w + 7 = 2 \cdot 5.5 + 7 = 18 \, \text{ft}
\]