Question

if a rectangular paintings area is given by the polynomial x^2-2x-80 what are the possible dimensions of the painting.

Answer 1

well,
x^2-2x-80 = (x-10)(x+8)
so, ...

Answer 2

Solve by factoring out the polynomial, and you would get:
(x+8)(x-10). Set those equal to 0, and x will equal 10 and -8.

Thus, the answer is that the possible dimensions 10 by 8 (you can't have negative dimensions, so change -8 to positive).

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

why would you set either factor to zero? As long as x > 10 you can satisfy the conditions of the problem.