The plans for a shed call for a rectangular floor with a perimeter of 368 ft. The length is three times the width. Find the length and width

Answer 1

Hello Micah,

for a rectangle: P = 2L + 2w

You're told the length is three times the width ---> L = 3w. Plug that back in the perimeter formula:

P = 2(3w) + 2w = 6w + 2w = 8w

You're looking for a perimeter of 368 feet, so replace P by 368: 368 = 8w

Solve for w by dividing both sides by 8 --> 46 = w

To find L, remember the problem told you the length is three times the width ---> L = 3*46 = 138

check: 2*138 + 2*46 = 276 + 92 = 368 which is the perimeter given in the problem!

So the length is 138 feet and the width is 46 feet.