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Advanced Math / Nonlinear functions Difficulty: Hard

The area of a rectangular banner is 2,661 square inches. The banner's length x , in inches, is 24 inches longer than its width, in inches. Which equation represents this situation?

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Explanation

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the banner’s length x , in inches, is 24 inches longer than its width, in inches. It follows that the banner’s width, in inches, can be represented by the expression x - 24 . The area of a rectangle is the product of its length and its width. It's given that the area of the banner is 2,661 square inches, so it follows that 2,661 = x x - 24 , or 2,661 = x 2 - 24 x . Subtracting 2,661 from each side of this equation yields 0 = x 2 - 24 x - 2,661 . Therefore, the equation that represents this situation is 0 = x 2 - 24 x - 2,661 .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from representing the width, in inches, of the banner as 24-x, rather than x - 24 .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from representing the width, in inches, of the banner as x + 24 , rather than x - 24 .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.