A contractor wishes to design a rectangular bathtub with an

A contractor wishes to design a rectangular bathtub with an area of 21ft^2. The bathtub will be surrounded by tile on all four sides; 1-foot of tile on the left, right, and bottom, and 2 feet of tile on the top. The total length (bathtub and tile) is to be twice the total width. Find the dimensions of the bathtub only.

(the other answser to this question on this site didn\'t seem to be correct)

Solution

Area of a rectangle = Length x Width or L x W

The length is twice the total width so: length = 2W and area = 2W x W

Area = 21 ft^2

21 = 3W

W=7

So, the total width of the tub is 7. Divide it by 2 to get the individual width of the two edges = 3.5

Then, the length is twice the individual width = 7.

The total length is 14.

The dimensions are 3.5 ft by 7 ft.