sat-dog

The correct answer is 5. Let x represent the width, in inches, of the rectangle. It’s given that the length of the rectangle is 4 inches less than 7 times its width, or 7 -4 x inches. The area of a rectangle is equal to its width multiplied by its length. 7 -4 7 -4 Multiplying the width, x inches, by the length, x inches, yields x^ x h 155 square inches. It’s given that the rectangle has an area of square inches, so it 7 -4 =155 7 2-4 =155 155 follows that x^ x h , or x x . Subtracting from both sides 7 2-4 -155=0 of this equation yields x x . Factoring the left-hand side of this 7 +31 -5 =0 equation yields ^ x h^x h . Applying the zero product property to this 31 =- = equation yields two solutions: x 7 and x 5. Since x is the rectangle’s width, in inches, which must be positive, the value of x is 5. Therefore, the width of the rectangle, in inches, is 5.