The diagram below represents the measurements of Jennie’s yard. The yard’s width is x feet shorter than its length. If the area of the yard is 540 square feet, how many feet shorter than the length is the width?

Question

A yard with a length of 30 feet and a width of (30 minus x) feet.

Which equation represents the scenario?
30 + (30 – x) = 540
540 – 30 = 30 – x
30(30 – x) = 540
540 – (30 – x) = 30

Answer 1

To find the equation that represents the scenario, we can start with the information given:

• Let the length of the yard be \( L = 30 \) feet.
• The width of the yard can be expressed as \( W = 30 - x \), where \( x \) is the number of feet shorter than the length.

The area of a rectangle is calculated using the formula:

\[ \text{Area} = \text{Length} \times \text{Width} \]

Given that the area of the yard is 540 square feet, we can set up the equation:

\[ 30 \times (30 - x) = 540 \]

This represents the scenario where the length is 30 feet and the width is \( 30 - x \) feet.

Thus, the correct equation is:

\[ 30(30 - x) = 540 \]

So, the answer is: 30(30 – x) = 540.