The area is 260 ft^2 its length is 7 ft more than its width.

Question

The area is 260 ft^2 its length is 7 ft more than its width.

What are the dimensions of the garden? 

The width of the garden?

and the length of the garden?

(simplify) 

 

Answer 1

Let w be the width of the area:

 

The problem states that the length is 7 feet longer than the width, and the result is 260 square feet. Writing this as an equation gives:

w * (w + 7) = 260

 

or expanding and putting into the standard quadratic form:

w² + 7w – 260 = 0

Factoring (or using the standard quadratic solution form),

(w + 20)(w-13) = 0

Therefore the width, w = 13 feet, and the length (adding 7) = 20 feet.

(The other answer is w = -20, and thus the length = -13 feet is the same, but just with the sides reversed and measured in the opposite direction.)