let's work in feet (hate this non-metric stuff)
1 mile = 5280 ft
let the width be x
then the length is x+5280
area = x(x+5280)
1 acre = 43560 ft^2
then 7680 acres = 334540800 ft^2
x^2 + 5280x = 334540800
complete the square ...
x^2 + 5280x + 6969600 = 334540800+6969600
(x+264)^2 = 341510400
x + 264 = ±18480
x = 18216 or x is a negative, which would be silly
so the ranch is 18216 ft by 23496 ft
or 3.45 miles by 4.45 miles
(would have been so easy in metric)
The "4" ranch is 7680 acres. It is a rectangle that is a mile longer than it is wide. What are the dimensions of the ranch?
1 answer