an american football field is a rectangle with a perimeter of 1040 feet. the length is 200 feet more than the width. find the width and length of the rectangle field.

Question

phi · Answer

|dw:1318982081501:dw|
perimeter is the sum of the sides: w+L+w+L= 1040 feet
this simplifies to 2w+2L= 1040 
divide both sides of the equation by 2 (to simplify it even more) to get
w+L= 520
also, the length L is 200 feet more than w, or L= 200+w
replace L in the equation with 200+w (because L= 200+w)
w+200+w= 520
add the w's
2w+200= 520
subtract 200 from each side
2w= 320
divide both sides by 2 to get w.
then use w in w+L=520 to find L