Question

The perimeter of a basketball court is 278ft. The length is 41ft longer than the width. Find the dimensions of the court.

Answer 1

Since Perimeter is Length+ Width, and there are "two lengths" and "two widths", the formula needed here is p=2l+2w. We have the P, so using that, along with knowing that l is 41ft longer than w;
p = 278 , l = w+41
278 = 2l + 2w

278 = 2(w+41) + 2w

We'll use the DISTRIBUTIVE PROPERTY first: 278 = 2w + 82 + 2w

Then we'll COMBINE LIKE TERMS: 278 = 4w + 82

Next we'll subtract 82 from both sides: 196 = 4w

And finally divide both sides by 4:
49 = w

Since the length is w+41 and we now know the width, we can see what the length is: l = w+41 , l = 49 + 41 , l = 90.

Now that we know the length, we can see what the dimensions of the court are:
Perimeter is 278ft
Width is 49ft
And the Length is 90ft.