Four corners are cut from a rectangular piece of cardboard that measures 5 ft by 3 ft. The cuts are x feet from the corners, as shown in the figure below. After the cuts are made, the sides of the rectangle are folded to form an open box. The area of the bottom of the box is 12 ft^2.

Question

What two equations represent the area, A, of the bottom of the box?

Answer 1

a = (5-2x)(3-2x)
a = 12