Question 1 of 5
A rectangle has area square units. If both its length and width are increased by units, the area becomes square units. Which expression represents the original perimeter of the rectangle?
Explanation
Let the original length and width be and . The original area is . After both dimensions increase by , the new area is . Expanding gives . Since , substitute to get , so , and therefore . The original perimeter is . Now simplify choice B: . Therefore, choice B represents the original perimeter.
Concept summary
When dimensions of a rectangle change, write an equation for the new area, expand it, and use the original area to isolate a sum such as , which can then be used to find the perimeter.