a rectangle garden has a perimeter of 144 ft. If the length of the garden is 3 feet less than twice its width, what is the area of the garden?

Answer 1

We can translate the description into math expressions and build an equation.

"twice its width" is 2w.

"3 feet less than" 2w is 2w-3

So the length is l=2w-3.

Now we have an expression for width (w) and an expression for length in terms of width (2w-3).

Perimeter is 2l+2w = 144.

Substitute for 2w-3 for l.

2(2w-3)+2w=144. This equation now has only one variable, so we can solve for w.

2w-6+2w=144

4w=144+6=150

w=37.5

l=2w-3=75-3=72

Area =37.5 * 72=2700 square ft