To find the width of the rectangle, we need to divide the area \(21x^2 - x - 10\) by the length \(3x + 2\).
Let's perform the polynomial long division:
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Divide the leading term of the numerator by the leading term of the denominator: \[ \frac{21x^2}{3x} = 7x \] So, we will multiply the entire length \(3x + 2\) by \(7x\): \[ 7x(3x + 2) = 21x^2 + 14x \]
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Subtract this result from the area: \[ (21x^2 - x - 10) - (21x^2 + 14x) = -x - 10 - 14x = -15x - 10 \]
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Now, divide the leading term of the new expression by the leading term of the denominator: \[ \frac{-15x}{3x} = -5 \] Now multiply the entire length \(3x + 2\) by \(-5\): \[ -5(3x + 2) = -15x - 10 \]
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Subtract this result from the previous remainder: \[ (-15x - 10) - (-15x - 10) = 0 \]
Since the remainder is 0, the division is exact.
Therefore, the width of the rectangle is: \[ \text{Width} = 7x - 5 \]
Thus, the expression representing the width of the rectangle is: \[ \boxed{7x - 5} \]