Area of a triangle

Question

If the area of a rectangle is

(15x2 - 16x - 15) square feet,

and its length is (3x - 5) feet,

find its width.

Answer 1

Area = Length x width

15x² - 16x - 15 = (3x - 5) x W

This can be solved a few ways. You could use long division. But I think the easiest way to do this is to factor it. Since one factor is given, you can figure out the other one.

(3x - 5)(5x+3) You can check by FOIL to make sure it is correct.