The area of a rectangle is length x width so we can deduce that 42 = length x width.
"the length of the rectangle is 5 yd more than twice the width" Using this information we can figure out the value of the length in terms of the w (the width) w = width l = 2w + 5
Plug these values back into the original formula of length x width. (2w + 5)w = 42 Distribute the w 2w^2 + 5w = 42 Subtract 42 from both sides 2w^2 + 5w - 42 = 0 Factor (2w - 7)(w + 6) w = 7/2 or -6 Since a measurement of something cannot be negative, the width must by 7/2. Plug the value of w back into the l value. 2w + 5 = l 2 x 7/2 + 5 = l 7 + 5 = l 12 = l
