If the sides of a square are lengthened by 8cm, the area becomes 144 cm^2 Find the length of a side of the original square. The length of a side of the original square is?cm
l^2=A
(L+8)^2=144
sqrt of both sides
1+8=12
l=4
To find the length of a side of the original square, we can use the information given and solve step by step.
Let's assume the length of a side of the original square is "x" cm.
According to the problem, if the sides of the square are lengthened by 8 cm, the new side length would be "x + 8" cm.
The area of a square is calculated by squaring its side length. So, the area of the original square would be x^2 cm^2, and the area of the new square would be (x + 8)^2 cm^2.
According to the problem, the area of the new square is given as 144 cm^2. We can set up the equation as follows:
(x + 8)^2 = 144
Now, we need to solve this equation to find the value of "x".
Taking the square root of both sides, we get:
x + 8 = √144
Simplifying the right-hand side:
x + 8 = 12
Subtracting 8 from both sides:
x = 12 - 8
x = 4
Therefore, the length of a side of the original square is 4 cm.