Question 1 of 5
A rectangular banner has a length of inches and a width of inches. A border of uniform width inches is added along the entire outside of the banner, creating a larger rectangle with an area of square inches. What is the value of ?
Explanation
Adding a border of width around the entire banner increases each dimension by , so the new dimensions are and . Testing the answer choices, when , the new dimensions are and , and
Therefore, the value of is .
Concept summary
A uniform border around a rectangle adds the border width to both sides of each dimension, so each dimension increases by twice the border width.