High School

You will need 120 feet of fencing to enclose a rectangular garden. The length of the garden is 40 feet. What is the width?

Answer :

Perimeter = 2L + 2w = 120

Plug in L = 40

2(40) + 2w = 120

Solve for w

2w = 120 - 80 = 40

w = 20

Final answer:

To find the width of a rectangular garden with a total perimeter of 120 feet and a known length of 40 feet, use the perimeter formula. Solving the equation, the width is determined to be 20 feet.

Explanation:

To find the width of a rectangular garden when you know the total fencing needed and the length of the garden, you can use the perimeter formula for a rectangle. The formula for the perimeter P of a rectangle is P = 2l + 2w, where l is the length and w is the width. In your case, the total perimeter is 120 feet and the length l is 40 feet. Setting up the equation using the given perimeter:

120 = 2(40) + 2w

Solving for w, the width:

120 = 80 + 2w

120 - 80 = 2w

40 = 2w

w = 20 feet

So, the width of the garden is 20 feet.