Problema Solution

The length of each side of a square is 3 more than the length of each side of a smaller square. The sum ofthe areas of the squares is 269in^2.Find the lengths of the sides of the two squares

Answer provided by our tutors

Let

x = the length of the side of the smaller square

x + 3 = the length of the side of the larger square

The area of the smaller square is x^2.

The area of the larger square is (x + 3)^2.

The sum of the areas is 269 in^2:

x^2 + (x + 3)^2 = 269

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click here to see the equation solved for x

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x = 10 in

We need to ignore the negative solution -13 since the length is always positive.

10 + 3 = 13 in

The length of the side of the smaller square is 10 inches.

The length of the side of the larger square is 13 inches.