Acity park commission received a donation of playground equipment from a parents' organization. the area of the
playground needs to be 256 square yards for the children to use it safely. the playground will be rectangular.
the city will also put a fence around the playground. the perimeter, p, of the fence includes the gates. to save money,
the city wants the least perimeter of fencing for the area of 256 square yards.
jovana was trying to find a formula for that perimeter with one side 8 yards longer than the other side using the area. in
which step did she make a mistake?
step 1: a=x( x+8 ) - 256
step 2: 256/x = x +8
step 3: p=2[ x+( x+8 ) ]
step 4: 1/2p=x+( x+8)
step 5: 1/2p=x+ 256/x
step 6: 1/2p-x=256/x
step 7: x( 1/2p-1 ) - 256
explain her mistake. what is the correct formula?