The length of a rectangle is 5 less than the width. Write a polynomial describing the area of a rectangle

Question

The length of a rectangle is 5 less than the width. Write a polynomial describing the area of a rectangle

Answer 1

We can also write it this way (depending on how you set your variables).

 

Let length = x

Let width = x + 5

Let Area = A

 

A = x(x + 5)

 

A = x² + 5x

Answer 2

Hi Selena,

The formula to find the area of a rectangle is A = l * w

The width is unknown, so the width is 'x'.

The length is 5 less than the width, so the length is x - 5

 

Using the formula...

A = x (x - 5)            Now, use the distributive property

A = x² - 5x

 

Hope this makes sense and looks 'easy'!

Mary Ann