Let the side length of the original square be x, then 1/4 x^2 = (x - 3)^2 x^2 = 4(x^2 - 6x + 9) = 4x^2 - 24x + 36 3x^2 - 24x + 36 = 0 3(x^2 - 8x + 12) = 0 x^2 - 8x + 12 = 0 x^2 - 2x - 6x + 12 = 0 x(x - 2) - 6(x - 2) = 0 (x - 6)(x - 2) = 0 x - 6 = 0 or x - 2 = 0 x = 6 or x = 2 but x cannot be 2 since the side length of the smaller square will be negative.
Therefore, the side length of the original square is 6 inches.