Example 1: Finding the Perimeter of a Rectangle given Its Area

and the Difference between Its Dimensions

What is the perimeter of a rectangle whose length is 7 cm more than its width and
whose area is 78 cm2?

Answer
To start, it can be helpful to draw a diagram representing the scenario described. We
know that the length is 7 cm more than the width, so let us call the width 𝑥 , in
centimetres, and the length 𝑥 + 7 . This gives us the following rectangle.

We know that the area of a rectangle is calculated by multiplying its length by its
width. Here, the length is 𝑥 + 7 and the width is 𝑥 . Since the area is 78, we can use
this to form the following equation:

𝑥 (𝑥 + 7) = 78.
If we then use the distributive property to expand the brackets, we get

𝑥 + 7𝑥 = 78.

Subtracting 78 from both sides gives us

𝑥 + 7𝑥 − 78 = 0.

At this point, we have a quadratic in a form that can be solved. We can check
whether the equation can be factored, or we can solve by completing the square or
using the quadratic formula. If we consider the factor pairs of 78, we have

1, 78

2, 39

3, 26

6, 13.

We need two numbers that multiply to make −78 and add to make 7; using the
factor pairs, we see these are −6 and 13.

Therefore, the equation factors as follows:

(𝑥 − 6) (𝑥 + 13) = 0.

Our solutions for 𝑥 are then calculated by identifying the points at which each of
the two factors are equal to zero. That is, 𝑥 = 6 and 𝑥 = −13 .

Given that 𝑥 is a length, it cannot be negative, so our solution must be 𝑥 = 6 .

 Finally, we need to determine the perimeter of the rectangle—that is, the sum of the
side lengths. We know the width is 6 cm and the length is 6 + 7 = 13 cm , so the
perimeter is given by

6 + 6 + 13 + 13 = 38 cm.

In our previous example, we noticed a key difference between solving quadratic equations
in a mathematical sense and in a real-world context. We saw that the underlying
quadratic had two solutions; however, since 𝑥 was a length, it had to be positive, meaning
one of the solutions was not valid. It is always a good idea to check the answers found at
the end of these types of problems to make sure they make sense in the context of their
real-world scenario.

We will see a similar scenario in our next question involving finding a positive number
that satisfies a certain property.

Example 2: Forming and Solving Quadratic Equations

Determine the positive number whose square exceeds twice its value by 15.

Answer
The first thing we need to do is translate the wording of the problem into an
equation. We let 𝑥 be the number we are trying to find. The first piece of
information we are given is that 𝑥 is positive; that is, 𝑥 > 0 . Secondly, we are told
 the square of the number, 𝑥 , exceeds twice its value, 2𝑥 , by 15. This means that the
difference between 𝑥 and 2𝑥 is 15. Hence,

𝑥 − 2𝑥 = 15.

Subtracting 15 from both sides of the equation, we get the following quadratic in
standard form:

𝑥 − 2𝑥 − 15 = 0.

We can now solve this equation to find the value of 𝑥 . Notice that 15 is the product
of 3 and 5. Furthermore, we can observe that 3 − 5 = −2 . Hence, we are able to
factor the equation as follows:

(𝑥 − 5) (𝑥 + 3) = 0.

Thus, either 𝑥 − 5 = 0 or 𝑥 + 3 = 0 . Solving each equation we get 𝑥 = 5 and

𝑥 = −3 . However, we were told that we are looking for a positive number; therefore,
the solution is 5.

In our next example, we will solve another problem involving lengths in a rectangle, this
time by using the quadratic formula.

Example 3: Using Quadratic Equations to Solve Problems

A right triangle has sides of lengths 𝑛 cm, 3 (𝑛 + 1) cm, and (3𝑛 + 4) cm. Find the
length of its shortest side.
Hint: First, decide which side is the hypotenuse.

Answer
Since this is a problem involving lengths in a right triangle, it is a good idea to sketch
the information we are given. To do this, we first need to determine which length is
the hypotenuse. We note that one of the sides is of length 𝑛 cm, so 𝑛 must be
positive. We also
note that 3 (𝑛 + 1) = 3𝑛 + 3 is smaller than the other length,
3𝑛 + 4 , so this must be the hypotenuse. This gives us the following.

The shortest side has length 𝑛 , so we need to determine the value of 𝑛 . We can do
this by applying the Pythagorean theorem to the right triangle; we get

(3𝑛 + 4) = 𝑛 + (3 (𝑛 + 1)) .

Distributing the exponents over the parentheses gives us

9𝑛 + 24𝑛 + 16 = 𝑛 + 9 (𝑛 + 1)

9𝑛 + 24𝑛 + 16 = 𝑛 + 9𝑛 + 18𝑛 + 9.

We can then collect like terms and rearrange to form a quadratic equation:
 9𝑛 + 24𝑛 + 16 = 10𝑛 + 18𝑛 + 9

0 = 10𝑛 + 18𝑛 + 9 − 9𝑛 − 24𝑛 − 16

0 = 𝑛 − 6𝑛 − 7.

We can solve this by finding a pair of numbers whose product is −7 and whose sum
is −6 . We see that this is −7 and 1, so we have

0 = (𝑛 + 1) (𝑛 − 7) .

For a product to be equal to zero, one of the factors must be equal to zero. Hence, we
either have 𝑛 = −1 or 𝑛 = 7 . Since 𝑛 is a side length, it must be positive, so 𝑛 = 7 .

Finally, the shortest side of the triangle has length 𝑛 cm, so the shortest side is of
length 7 cm.

Before we continue, it is worth noting that all the of the unique problems we have with
quadratics also occur when applying them to real-world scenarios. For example, we
cannot always factor quadratics and will sometimes need to apply the quadratic formula
to find the roots that we can then round to an appropriate degree of accuracy. Another
possibility is that there could be 0,1, or 2 solutions depending on the sign of the
discriminant and there are still the real-world limitations on the possible values of the
variables.

Let us see an example of a problem in which both of these situations occur. Imagine that
the entrance to a tunnel is modeled by a parabola with equation ℎ (𝑥) = −2𝑥 + 3𝑥 + 4 ,
where ℎ (𝑥) is the height of the tunnel in metres and 𝑥 is the horizontal displacement in
metres from a known point, as shown.

We want to use this to find the maximum width of the tunnel entrance. We can first note
that parabolas open outward, so the maximum width occurs at the lowest part of the
tunnel, when ℎ (𝑥) = 0 . Therefore, we can find the 𝑥 values of these points by solving the
equation

−2𝑥 + 3𝑥 + 4 = 0.
We cannot solve this by factoring, so we will use the quadratic formula, which states that
the solutions to the quadratic 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0 are

−𝑏 ± √𝑏 − 4𝑎𝑐
𝑥= .
2𝑎

In this quadratic, we have 𝑎 = −2 , 𝑏 = 3 , and 𝑐 = 4 . Substituting these values in and

simplifying, we have

−3 ± √3 − 4 (−2) (4)

𝑥=
2 (−2)

−3 ± √41
= .
−4

Since, the expression for the roots does not simplify any further, we will give the roots to
two decimal places. We have 𝑥 ≈ 2.35 and 𝑥 ≈ −0.85. The maximum width is then the
difference between these values, which we find by using the exact values of the roots. To
two decimal places, this is 3.20 m.

In our final three examples, we will solve various problems in geometry and number
theory by forming and solving quadratic equations.

Example 4: Using Quadratic Equations to Solve Problems

The diagram shows a rectangular prism, where the area of its net is 580. Find the
value of 𝑥 .
Answer
We first note that the area of the net of this rectangular prism will be the same as its
surface area. In other words, the sum of the area of the faces of the rectangular
prism is 580 square units. We need to start by finding an expression for this sum. To
do this, we note that there are 6 faces and opposite faces have the same area. Finally,
we know that each face is either a rectangle or a square, so the area of each face is
length times width. This allows us to find the area of each face as follows.
The length of the front face is 𝑥 and its width is 3, so its area is 3𝑥 . The length of the
top face is 𝑥 and its width is 2𝑥 , so its area is 𝑥 × 2𝑥 = 2𝑥 . The length of the side
faces is 2𝑥 and their width is 3, so their area is 2𝑥 × 3 = 6𝑥 .

Since there are two of each face, the surface area is the sum of two times each
expression, giving

surface area = 2 × 3𝑥 + 2 × 2𝑥 + 2 × 6𝑥

= 6𝑥 + 4𝑥 + 12𝑥

= 4𝑥 + 18𝑥.

We are told this is equal to 580, giving us the equation

4𝑥 + 18𝑥 = 580.

We subtract 580 from both sides to get

 4𝑥 + 18𝑥 − 580 = 0.

We could then attempt to solve this by factoring; however, the product of 4 × 580
has many factor pairs, so it is easier to apply the quadratic formula. We recall the
quadratic formula states that the solutions to the quadratic 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0 are

−𝑏 ± √𝑏 − 4𝑎𝑐
𝑥= .
2𝑎

In this quadratic, we have 𝑎 = 4 , 𝑏 = 18 , and 𝑐 = −580 . Substituting these values in

and simplifying gives us

−18 ± √18 − 4 (4) (−580)

𝑥=
2 (4)

−18 ± 98
= .
8

−29
Evaluating each root separately, we get that 𝑥 = 10 or 𝑥 = . Since 𝑥 represents
2
a length, it must be positive; hence, 𝑥 = 10 .

Example 5: Forming and Solving Quadratic Equations

Find the positive number that is 66 less than twice its square.

Answer
If we call the positive number we are trying to find 𝑥 , then we are told that 𝑥 is 66
less than twice its square. Twice the square of 𝑥 is 2𝑥 , and since 𝑥 is 66 less than
this, we can add 66 to 𝑥 to create an equivalent expression, so we have

2𝑥 = 𝑥 + 66.

We can solve this quadratic equation for 𝑥 by first rearranging the equation to get

2𝑥 − 𝑥 − 66 = 0.

Next, we need to find two numbers that multiply to give 2 × (−66) = −132 and add
to give −1 . By considering the factor pairs of 132, we can see that these are −12 and
11. We use these to rewrite the equation as

2𝑥 − 12𝑥 + 11𝑥 − 66 = 0.

We now take out the shared factor of 2𝑥 from the first two terms and the shared
factor of 11 in the last two terms to get

2𝑥 (𝑥 − 6) + 11 (𝑥 − 6) = 0.

Finally, we take out the shared factor of (𝑥 − 6) , giving us

(𝑥 − 6) (2𝑥 + 11) = 0.

For the product of two numbers to be zero, one of the factors must be zero. Hence,
−11
either 𝑥 − 6 = 0 or 2𝑥 + 11 = 0 . Solving each equation, we get 𝑥 = 6 or 𝑥 = .
2
Since we are told 𝑥 is positive, we have 𝑥 = 6 .

Hence, the positive number that is 66 less than twice its square is 6.
In our final example, we will construct and solve a quadratic equation from a geometric
problem that involves equating the areas of a trapezoid and a rectangle.

Example 6: Using Quadratic Equations to Solve Problems

The diagram shows a trapezoid and a rectangle.

1. Write an expression for the area of the rectangle.

2. Write an expression for the area of the trapezoid.
3. If the trapezoid and the rectangle have the same area, find the value of 𝑥
using a suitable equation.

Answer
Part 1

We recall that the area of a rectangle is width times length. In the diagram, the
rectangle has a length of 𝑥 − 9 and a width of 2𝑥 + 1. Hence, its area is the product
of the expressions:

(2𝑥 + 1) (𝑥 − 9) .

Part 2

We recall that the area of a trapezoid is half the sum of the parallel sides (or base
sides) multiplied by the perpendicular height. We see in the picture that the parallel
sides have lengths 𝑥 and 𝑥 + 6 , so their sum is 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 6 = 2𝑥 + 6 . We can also note
that the perpendicular height is 𝑥 − 7 . So, the area of this trapezoid is half the
product of these expressions, which is given by

1
(𝑥 − 7) (2𝑥 + 6) = (𝑥 − 7) (𝑥 + 3) .
2

Part 3

If the trapezoid and rectangle have equal areas, then the expressions for their areas
must be equal; equating these expressions, we have

(𝑥 − 7) (𝑥 + 3) = (2𝑥 + 1) (𝑥 − 9) .

Distributing the parentheses on the left-hand side of the equation, we have

(𝑥 − 7) (𝑥 + 3) = 𝑥 − 4𝑥 − 21.

Distributing the parentheses on the right-hand side of the equation, we have

 (2𝑥 + 1) (𝑥 − 9) = 2𝑥 − 17𝑥 − 9.

Equating the expansions of each expression for the areas gives us

𝑥 − 4𝑥 − 21 = 2𝑥 − 17𝑥 − 9.

We can then rearrange this into a quadratic equation in standard form as follows:

0 = 2𝑥 − 17𝑥 − 9 − 𝑥 + 4𝑥 + 21

0 = 𝑥 − 13𝑥 + 12.

Next, we can solve this equation using factoring by noting that

(−12) × (−1) = 12
and −1 + (−12) = −13 ; this gives

0 = (𝑥 − 12) (𝑥 − 1) .

Then, we can equate each factor to zero to see that 𝑥 = 12 and 𝑥 = 1 are solutions
to the equation.

We might be tempted to conclude that both of these values are solutions since they
are both positive; however, we see that the rectangle has a length of 𝑥 − 9 . This
means that 𝑥 cannot be smaller than 9; otherwise, this length would be negative.

Therefore, the value of 𝑥 is 12.