Question

the rectangle below has an area of $x^{2}-15x + 56$ square meters and a length of $x - 7$ meters. what expression represents the width of the rectangle? width = meters

Explanation:

Step1: Recall area formula

$A = l\times w$, where $A$ is area, $l$ is length and $w$ is width. So $w=\frac{A}{l}$.

Step2: Substitute given values

$w=\frac{x^{2}-15x + 56}{x - 7}$.

Step3: Factor the numerator

$x^{2}-15x + 56=(x - 7)(x - 8)$. So $w=\frac{(x - 7)(x - 8)}{x - 7}$.

Step4: Simplify the fraction

Cancel out the common factor $(x - 7)$. Then $w=x - 8$.

Answer:

$x - 8$