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Question

Suppose that the combined are of two squares is 360 square feet. Each side of the larger square is three times as long as a side of the smaller square. How big is each square?

Answer 1

Let x = side of small square, then 3x = side of big square.

 

Area of both = x² +(3x)² = 10x² = 360

 

x² = 36

 

x = 6.  The small square is 6 by 6, the large square is 18 by 18.