A rectangular chalk board is 3 times as long as it is wide. If it were 3 metres shorter and 3 metres wider, it would be square. What are the dimensions of the chalk board?
3 meters wide
9 meters long
Right.
Thanks!
You're welcome.
To solve this problem, let's break it down step by step:
Let's assume the width of the rectangular chalkboard is "x".
According to the problem, the length of the chalkboard is 3 times the width, which means the length is 3x.
We are also told that if we decrease the length by 3 meters and increase the width by 3 meters, the chalkboard becomes square.
So, the length after the change would be 3x - 3, and the width after the change would be x + 3.
To make a square, the length and width should be equal. Therefore, we can set up the equation:
3x - 3 = x + 3
Let's solve this equation:
3x - x = 3 + 3
2x = 6
x = 3
Now that we have the value of "x," which represents the width, we can calculate the length:
Length = 3x = 3 * 3 = 9
Therefore, the dimensions of the chalkboard are 3 meters wide and 9 meters long.