Establishing A Relationship Between A Rectangle's Length & Width
2. Define the shape of the rectangular area by establishing a relationship between the length and width of the rectangle. For example, L = 2W + 5, or W = 3L - 4. Be sure to include the appropriate units (inches, feet, yards, miles, or meters).
3. Using the fact that A = LW, together with the relationship defined in step 2, eliminate one of the variables to set up a quadratic equation.
4. Solve the quadratic equation using any of the techniques learned in this unit. The solution(s) will be one of the dimensions; use step 2 to find the other.
5. Now determine the perimeter so that you will know how much fencing to buy.