Question

The dimensions of a square are altered so that 8inches is added to one side while 3 inches is subtracted from the other. The area of the resulting rectangle is 126in^2 .What was the original side length of the square?

Answer 1

Let s original sides, l length, w width:

s+8=l

s-3=w

lw= 126in²

substitute:

(s+8)(s-3)=126

s²+5s-24=126

s²+5x-150=0

(s-10)(s+15)

s=10

each side is 10 inches