Question

The width of Gabby's backyard is 4 meters shorter than its length, and its area is equal to 120 square meters. Which equation can be used to find the possible values for the length of Gabby's backyard, x?

Answer 1

Let the length be x and the width be x − 4. Area = length × width gives

x(x − 4) = 120,

or equivalently x^2 − 4x − 120 = 0. (The positive solution is x ≈ 13.14 m.)