Question

Jay will use wood planks to make a rectangular border for his garden. The garden has an area of 63 square feet and a width of 7 feet. 
 

Question
Jay already has a 12-foot wood plank that can be cut into smaller pieces.
 
How many more feet of wood planks must he buy?

Answer 1

To determine how many more feet of wood planks Jay needs to buy, we first need to find the dimensions of the garden.

1. **Calculate the length of the garden:**
The area of a rectangle is given by the formula:
\[
\text{Area} = \text{Width} \times \text{Length}
\]
We know the area is 63 square feet and the width is 7 feet:
\[
63 = 7 \times \text{Length}
\]
Solving for the length:
\[
\text{Length} = \frac{63}{7} = 9 \text{ feet}
\]

2. **Calculate the perimeter of the garden:**
The perimeter \( P \) of a rectangle is given by the formula:
\[
P = 2 \times (\text{Length} + \text{Width})
\]
Plugging in the values we found:
\[
P = 2 \times (9 + 7) = 2 \times 16 = 32 \text{ feet}
\]

3. **Determine how much more wood Jay needs to buy:**
Jay currently has a 12-foot wood plank. To find out how much more he needs, we subtract the length of the plank he already has from the perimeter:
\[
\text{Additional wood required} = P - \text{Length of plank Jay has}
\]
\[
\text{Additional wood required} = 32 - 12 = 20 \text{ feet}
\]

**Answer:** Jay must buy an additional 20 feet of wood planks.