Problem

Solving With
Quadratic
Equations

For some problems, the solution

can be obtained by representing the
problem with a quadratic equation,
and solving this equation using any
one of the methods discussed in the
preceding section. Whenever the
given conditions require you to
multiply an expression containing a
variable, the result is a quadratic
equation. Take a look at the following
word problems that yield algebraic
equations.

Problem 1: A picture that measures 4

inches by 6 inches is surrounded by a
border of uniform width. If the total
area of the border and the frame is
twice the area of the picture, how
wide is the border?
6+2
Solution:
x

6
4

4+2
x

Let x be the width of the border. The

dimensions of the larger rectangle are 4+2x
and 6+2x. Since the new area is twice the old
area, you can form the following equations:
(6+2x)(4+2x) = 2(6)(4)
Simplifying, you get
4x2+20x+24 = 48
4x2+20x-24 = 0
4(x2+5x-6) = 0
4(x-1)(x+6) = 0
(x-1)(4x+24) = 0
x = 1, -6
Since x cannot be negative, the correct
answer is x=1. The border is 1 inch wide all
over. To check the correctness of the answer,
the dimensions of the bigger rectangle are
4+2 and 6+2, or 6 and 8. Hence, its area is (6)
(8) = 48 in2, which is twice the area of the

Problem 2: The sum of two integers is

12, and their product is 32. What is the
larger number?
Solution:
Let the first number be x. Since the sum
of the two numbers is 12, the second
number may be represented by 12-x.
Since the product is 32, you get the
equation
x(12-x) = 32
12x-x2-32 = 0
x2-12x+32 = 0
(x-4)(x-8) = 0
x=4, x=8
If x=4, then 12-x=8. If x=8, then 12-

Problem 3: If they worked together,

John and Vince can finish their project
in Biology in two days. If they work
individually, it will take John three
days longer than Vince to complete
the task. How long will it take each to
do the job alone?
Solution
The information from the problem can
be summarized in the following table:
Number of Part of the Job
days to Do
Done in One
the Job
Day
John
x+3
Vince
x
Togeth
2

The part of the task done by the two if

they work together is the combined part
of the work that they can do individually,
so you get the equation
Get the equivalent equation
x2-x-6 = 0 = (x-3)(x+2)
Thus, either x=3 or x=-2. Since x
represents a number of days, it cannot be
negative, so you discard -2. This gives
x=3
the number of days it takes for
you
Vince to do the job by himself
x+3=6 the number of days John needs
to do the job on his own

Exercises
: Solve the following word problems.

1. The height of a triangle is 3 inches less than

its base. If the area of the triangle is 27 in 2,
find the base of the triangle.
2. Jason is two years older that Aga. Three
years ago, the product of their ages was 48.
How old is Jason now?
3. The sum of the reciprocals of two integers is
. If the larger number exceeds the smaller
number by 2, what is the larger integer?
4. A piece of string 24 inches long is to be cut
into two pieces such that the product of the
lengths of the two pieces is 128. How long is
the shorter piece?
5. An open box is to be made out of a piece of
cardboard 10 in by 15 in by cutting off equal
squares from the four corners and turning up