Question

A rectangular picture window 12-feet long and 6-feet wide needs to be shortened to 9 feet in length to fit in a redesigned wall. If the architect wants the new window to be similar to the old window, how wide will the new window be?

Answer 1

To find the desired width we need to solve the equation:
$\frac{9}{12}=\frac{x}{6}$
$\frac{3}{4}=\frac{x}{6}$
$x=\frac{3*6}{4}=\frac{18}{4}=\frac{9}{2}=4.5$

So, the new window will be 4.5 feet wide.

Answer 2

12       6__   =  __ 9         w

12w = 6 x 9

        = 54

   w  =  54 divided by 12

   w  = 4.5