What are the dimensions of a garden if Anne wants to put a fence around her rose bed that is one-and-a-half times as long as it is wide and uses 50 feet of fencing?

1 Answer
Dec 25, 2014

Let's start by calling the smaller side #x#.
The longer side will then be #1.5x#

Total length of fence is then two times the smaller side plus two times the longer side, and this must be 50. Or in formula:
#2*x+2*1.5x=5x#
#5x=50#
divide both sides by 5:
#x=10#

Conclusion:
Short side is 10 feet
Long side is 15 feet

Challenge
Try and work this out if one of the short sides of the rose bed is against the house, so it doesn't need a fence there.