Question

Ms. Ford's kitchen is in the shape of a rectangle with a width of 12.25 feet. She is buying a wallpaper border to go on all of her kitchen walls. she wants to buy 5 extra feet of the border to be sure she has enough. she buys 62.5 feet of the border.
What is the length of Ms. Ford kitchen explain how you can find the answer

Answer 1

To find the length of Ms. Ford's kitchen, we can use the information provided about the total amount of wallpaper border she purchased, the width of the kitchen, and the fact that she bought extra length for assurance.

1. **Understanding the Border Needed**: Since the kitchen is rectangular, the perimeter (the total length of all the walls) can be calculated using the formula:

\[
\text{Perimeter} = 2 \times (\text{Length} + \text{Width})
\]

2. **Given Values**:
- Width = 12.25 feet
- Total Border Bought = 62.5 feet
- Extra Border = 5 feet

3. **Calculating the Actual Border Needed**: Since Ms. Ford bought 5 extra feet, we can determine how much border she actually needed by subtracting the extra amount from the total she bought:

\[
\text{Actual Border Needed} = \text{Total Border} - \text{Extra Border}
\]

\[
\text{Actual Border Needed} = 62.5 \text{ feet} - 5 \text{ feet} = 57.5 \text{ feet}
\]

4. **Setting Up the Equation**: We can now set up the equation for the perimeter using the actual length of the border needed:

\[
57.5 = 2 \times (\text{Length} + 12.25)
\]

5. **Solving for Length**:
- First, divide both sides by 2:

\[
28.75 = \text{Length} + 12.25
\]

- Next, subtract 12.25 from both sides to isolate the length:

\[
\text{Length} = 28.75 - 12.25
\]

\[
\text{Length} = 16.5 \text{ feet}
\]

6. **Conclusion**: The length of Ms. Ford's kitchen is **16.5 feet**.

This method involves using the perimeter formula for a rectangle and adjusting for the extra border amount to find the actual dimensions needed for the walls.