Question

Ok, got half this on my own, need help with rest please...

The perimeter of a rectangle is 36ft. The length is 4 ft longer than the width. Find the dimensions. Write a system of linear equations and solve the resulting sytem. Let x be the length and y be the width.

Write the first equation.
2x + 2y= 36 <=== got that part
Write the second equation.
x=y+ 4 <==== got that part

Need help with these two.
What is the length?
What is the width?

Answer 1

replace \(x\) in the first equation by \(y+4\) because the second equation tells you that \(x\) IS \(y+4\)
use parentheses carefully, and you get
\[2(y+4)+2y=36\]

Answer 2

now solve for \(y\) in a few steps, first multiply on the left to get
\[2y+8+2y=36\] combine terms
\[4y+8=36\] and last two steps are to subtract 8 and then divide by 4

Answer 3

subtract 8 from 36?
and then divide that by 4?

Answer 4

which would be 7?

Answer 5

then 7+4 gives 11.