500 ft fencing needed to enclose 104-ft wide lot; find depth

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bikersiggy

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Aug 18, 2008
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I am new to word problems. I normally don't have problems doing the equations and answering them. It is writing an equation from a word problem. Here is the problem:

If it takes 500 feet of fencing to enclose a rectangular lot that is 104 feet wide, then how deep is the lot?

I was thinking 104x + 4 = 500 :?

Any help would be appreciated. My book doesn't explain how to do this equation.
 
Re: Word Problem

On what basis did you arrive at "I was thinking 104x + 4 = 500"?

Your problem seems to involve the perimeter of a rectangle. Don't you suppose the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle would be involved? 2 times the width + 2 times the length = perimeter. Work with that and do some substituting and see what you can come up with.
 
Re: Word Problem

Yes,
I am confused. Guess I need to know my math basics before I tempt to take a college algebra class, HUH!

I am still not sure what to do when I am missing a number.
So here goes: 102^2 x L^2= 500
 
Re: Word Problem

here is the perimeter formula for a rectangle ...

P = 2(L + W)

change your mind?
 
Re: Word Problem

bikersiggy said:
Yes,
I am confused. Guess I need to know my math basics before I tempt to take a college algebra class, HUH!

I am still not sure what to do when I am missing a number.
So here goes: 102^2 x L^2= 500
Click to expand...

You're not dealing with area, so you're not going to square anything.

You said the lot was rectangular, and you're dealing with a perimeter of 500 feet. That's how much fencing it takes to enclose it.

Recall the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle \(\displaystyle P=2l + 2w\), where l = length and w = width.

Now we just substitute what we know into the perimeter equation and solve for what we don't know.

\(\displaystyle 500=2l + 2(104)\)

Solve for l. This will be your length (depth).
 
Re: Word Problem

Sorry this is hard.
Here goes:
500= L (146) + 2 (104)
500= 292 + 208

Am I still wrong?
 
Re: Word Problem

bikersiggy said:
Sorry this is hard.
Here goes:
500= L (146) + 2 (104)
500= 292 + 208

Am I still wrong?
Click to expand...

So, 292 is the measure both missing sides. Each side has the same measure, so what is the measure of the missing side?

Here's how the equation and ultimate solution should look:

\(\displaystyle 500=2l+2(104)\) <===original equation

\(\displaystyle 500=2l+208\) <===multiply

\(\displaystyle 500-208=2l+208-208\)<===subtract 208 from each side

\(\displaystyle 292=2l\)<===now divide by 2

\(\displaystyle 146=l\)

Check:

\(\displaystyle 500=2(146)+2(104)\)
\(\displaystyle 500=500\)
 
Re: Word Problem

Thank You. I haven't did measures for 14 years, and I am finally starting to get the basic concepts of algebra down, and this one was so confusing for me. It is so easy to do word problems on the calculator, but to right them down in algebriac form is still so hard for me. I have been researching basic algebra, to get more familiar with the basics, so the complicated problems won't seem so complicated.
 
Re: Word Problem

Back to school after being out for 14 years, and I needed one more math credit. I am doing it online. Last college I had an instructor in front of me, and I Aced the class. This time I am having my doubts, about ready to hire a tutor to help me through it, if I don't get the concepts down soon. The instructor keeps telling me to read the chapters, but they only give one example for each, I need 10 examples to get it figured out in my mind. This is going to be the longest class I ever took.
 
Re: Word Problem

Hey Biker, draw a simple (as example) rectangle 2 wide by 5 deep: the perimeter is 14, right?

Now your problem would read:
If it takes 14 feet of fencing to enclose a rectangular lot that is 2 feet wide, then how deep is the lot?

You can solve that, right?

Kapish?
 
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