Question

A rectangular athletic field is three times as long as it is wide. If the perimeter of the athletic field is 80 yards, what are the dimensions?

Answer 1

10 yards by 30 yards.

Explanation:

The perimeter of a rectangle can be given by `2l + 2w` where `l` is the length and `w` is the width. Given that the length is three times longer than the width, let's designate width to be an unknown variable `x` and length to be `3x`, since it is 3 times longer than the width. Now, plug in `l = 3x` and `w = x` into the formula, we get:
`2(3x) + 2(x) = 80`
`6x + 2x = 80`
`8x = 80`
`x = 10`
Plugging that into the original formula for width and length, we get a width of 10 yards and a length of 30 yards.