Question

A rectangular garden has an area of 300
square feet. The length of the garden is 5
feet longer than the width. Find the dimensions of the garden in feet.

Answer 1

Let the width be w feet. Then the length is w + 5 feet and the area gives

w(w + 5) = 300
w^2 + 5w - 300 = 0.

Factor: (w - 15)(w + 20) = 0, so w = 15 (discard w = -20).

Thus the width is 15 ft and the length is 15 + 5 = 20 ft.