The perimeter of a rectangular play yard is 144 yards. The width is 18 yards less than twice the length. Find the width. (Use: P = 2l + 2w )
To find the width of the rectangular play yard, we can use the given information and the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle.
Let's assign variables to the length and width of the play yard. Let's say the length is represented by 'l' and the width is represented by 'w'.
From the given information, we know that the perimeter of the play yard is 144 yards. The formula for the perimeter of a rectangle is P = 2l + 2w, where P represents the perimeter.
So, we can write the equation as:
2l + 2w = 144
We are also given that the width is 18 yards less than twice the length. This can be written as:
w = 2l - 18
Now we can substitute the value of 'w' in terms of 'l' into the equation for the perimeter:
2l + 2(2l - 18) = 144
Simplifying this equation will help us solve for the value of 'l'.
2l + 4l - 36 = 144
Combining like terms:
6l - 36 = 144
Adding 36 to both sides of the equation:
6l = 180
Dividing both sides by 6:
l = 30
Now that we have found the value of 'l', we can substitute it back into the equation for the width to find the value of 'w':
w = 2(30) - 18
w = 60 - 18
w = 42
Therefore, the width of the rectangular play yard is 42 yards.