What is the length of a rectangular garden whose perimeter is 32cm and area 39cm2?
Answer Details
Let the length and width of the rectangular garden be L and W, respectively. The perimeter is the sum of all sides of the rectangle, so we have: P = 2L + 2W = 32cm The area is given by: A = LW = 39cm2 We can use the first equation to solve for one of the variables in terms of the other. For example, solving for L we get: L = 16 - W Substituting this expression for L in the equation for the area we obtain: (16 - W)W = 39 Expanding and rearranging, we get a quadratic equation: W2 - 16W + 39 = 0 Solving for W using the quadratic formula, we get: W = 3 or W = 13 Since the length cannot be smaller than the width, we discard the solution W = 3. Therefore, W = 13cm, and L = 16 - W = 3cm. Therefore, the length of the rectangular garden is 13cm. So the answer is (c) 13cm.