the width of a rectangle is 6 cm less than the length. the perimeter is 72cm. write and solve an equation to find the width and length of a rectangel.

P = 2L + 2W

W = L - 6

72 = 2L + 2(L-6)

To find the width and length of a rectangle, we can follow these steps:

Step 1: Assign variables
Let's assign the variable "x" to represent the length of the rectangle. Since the width is 6 cm less than the length, we can represent the width as "x - 6".

Step 2: Write the equation for the perimeter
The perimeter of a rectangle is the sum of all its sides. In this case, there are two lengths and two widths, so the equation for the perimeter is:

2(length) + 2(width) = perimeter

Substituting the values, we have:
2x + 2(x - 6) = 72

Step 3: Solve the equation
Let's solve the equation:

2x + 2(x - 6) = 72

Simplify the equation:
2x + 2x - 12 = 72
4x - 12 = 72

Add 12 to both sides:
4x = 84

Divide both sides by 4:
x = 21

Step 4: Calculate the width
Now that we have the length (x = 21), we can find the width by substituting x into the equation we assigned earlier:

Width = x - 6
Width = 21 - 6
Width = 15

Therefore, the length of the rectangle is 21 cm and the width is 15 cm.